The Curse of Power
by MysteryWriter99
Summary: Two universes, coexisting with no knowledge of each other. Until one girl makes a discovery that changes everything. Sometimes the gift of power is a curse, as the Rangers will soon discover! R&R, they make me smile! Rated T for occasional language :D
1. Chapter 1 Part I

**A/N: Hello! Well, I decided (eventually) that I would scrap the original story that I did and start afresh. My sister was delighted when I promised her a purely Power Rangers story! It was an idea I got when I saw her playing in the garden with her friend and since then it's been buzzing around in my head for days. So, without further adieu, here is my PRTF story.**

_Disclaimer: If I owned these shows, would I spend my days sat at my computer writing fanfiction for you guys? What? Oh, yeah, I would. *Sighs* But anyway, Power Rangers belong to Saban/Disney respectively and I own nothing except my OC Sky. Sad but true. No profit is made from this is anyway. Right, glad that's cleared up. Phew, talk about a long disclaimer!_

And now, down to business. Enjoy!

She could see where she was. She was down at the beach, the clear turquoise waters lapping at the shore as she walked along the sandy edge, bare feet leaving footprints in the sand which were quickly washed out by the water. After a while she stopped, staring out at the endless water. Her hair blew in a gentle breeze, wiggling her toes in the sand. However, as she stared out, she felt another presence. Turning, the girl in question saw that there was indeed someone else present. They were in the distance, a tiny speck of colour along the pure white gold sand. Without any conscious effort, she found herself running towards the figure, legs pumping hard as she propelled herself to go faster. The figure didn't react. The faster she ran however, the further away the figure became. Determination gripping her, she pushed harder, running faster than she had ever done in her life. But it was to no avail. Exhausted and spent, she stopped, sinking into the sand. Then, as she knelt there in the paradise she was surrounded by, a beeping began to ring in the air. And it grew louder, and louder. Confused she stood up. The world then tipped, and swirled and she found herself falling, all the while the beeping growing louder, almost unbearably loud...

With a groan Jessica Sky Amelia Jackson slammed a hand down on her alarm clock, silencing it. Withdrawing her hand under the covers again, she rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. Until she felt someone jump on top of her.

"Sky!" A little voice moaned at her, bouncing on the bed. "Sky get up! Mum says you're going to be late for school!" the voice whined, shaking her shoulder. With a moan, Sky looked up at the little chirpy figure sat on top of her. Then she allowed her head to flop back onto the pillow. "_Sky_!" The figure whined again.

"Okay, alright, I'm up." She relented sleepily. "Now get off me!" She said, pushing her little sister a bit.

"Good. Mum says you have to take me to school today, she's busy." Her little sibling said smugly. Then she leant in close and peered into Sky's face. "Are you sure you're getting up?" She asked, suspicious.

"Yes Ellie." Sky confirmed. "But you have to get off me first." She muttered. Without another hesitation, Ellie hopped off the bed and ran out of the room. Yawning, Sky sat up. Throwing the covers back, she slipped out of bed, running a hand through her hair as she dragged herself into the pristine kitchen, grabbing a bowl and pouring herself some cereal. Just as she was waiting for the kettle to boil so she could have her coffee, her mother breezed into the room.

"Morning Sky," She greeted, ruffling her daughter's hair as she walked past, laughing as Sky ducked out of the way, cereal bowl in hand. Although her first name was actually Jessica, everybody called her Sky. Except for when she was in trouble, then she got the first name and (if she'd been seriously misbehaving) it was the full name.

"Morning mom." She greeted sleepily, stifling another yawn. Her mother laughed.

"Sorry about dragging you from your haven," She apologised, brushing some hair from her eyes as she spoke, "But the office needs me in early and I have to go. Do you mind taking Ellie to school today?" She asked. Sky shook her head as she poured her coffee. Her Mum kissed her forehead. "Thanks sweetie." She told her.

"No problem mom," Sky shrugged it off. Their parents worked hard, but she understood. They were only doing what they could to give their children happy lives. "I'm off for a shower; we've got that non uniform thing going on today." She explained as she put her bowl and cup in the dish washer, already heading for the stairs. "See you tonight!" She called. A few minutes later and Sky was bounding down the stairs, dressed for school. Her hair was now brushed straight, though not without the odd flick that wouldn't stay flat, and she had changed from her pyjamas. She was now dressed in her favourite pair of blue jeans and trainers with an old grey T-shirt on too. Strapping her watch on, Sky grabbed her rucksack and, after double checking her appearance and her school bag- took her little sister's hand and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, Sky arrived at her secondary school. Already half way into the term, she jumped the small set of stairs and walked up to her friends. They were a small group, only about seven of them. But they knew each other so well they could reach each other's emotions just by looking. Sky turned and looked around for her best friend, Natalie. But even as Sky looked around, she couldn't see the familiar messy blonde ponytail that Natalie always wore to school. She turned to look at one of her other good friends, Becca.

"Hey, Becca, you seen Nat anywhere?" She asked, still scanning the crowds that surrounded the entrance to the school. Becca glanced around too, then she pointed.

"Over there." She directed. Following her friend's finger, Sky finally noticed her best friend running towards them, hair more wild and messy than was normal, but with the biggest smile plastered on her face. Engulfing Sky in a hug, she pulled away, still beaming.

"What's got you this late? _I'm_ the one with the lazy reputation here!" She joked, prodding Nat in the chest playfully. Nat laughed and shoved her friend.

"Oh yeah, 'cause you're _so_ lazy, Miss 'all sports, all adventure' Jackson." She retorted with a snort. "Anyway, I just found out this morning, Mom's pregnant!" She exclaimed, still grinning. At this, Sky squealed with excitement for her friend, both bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Oh my god, that's great Nat!" Sky cheered. Nat beamed.

"I know. I got so distracted I forgot the time, so I'm a bit..." She paused looking for the right word.

"Of a disaster this morning?" Sky finished, smiling. Nat glared playfully, but nodded. Just then the bell rang and they all made their way to form, chatting about one thing or another. Sky watched as Nat talked with another of their friends, Charlie. To anyone else, it was obvious they were smitten with each other, yet both would deny that fact should anyone bring it up. Rolling her eyes, Sky went to put her bag away in her locker, twiddling the dial when someone slammed into her. Annoyed, she whirled round. "Could you watch where you're going?" She snapped. Then noticing who it was, her glare intensified. "Oh, it's _you_." She spat, glaring up at the boy who'd barrelled into her.

"Good morning to you as well." He replied casually, leaning against the locker. Turning away, Sky wrenched open her locker, stuffing her bag in violently before retrieving her books and pencil case for her first period.

"What do you want, Jason?" She snapped angrily. Jason Smith was, in her opinion, nothing but an arrogant, pig headed idiot. Since her first day when they had been paired together, she had taken an instant dislike to him. Ever since that point, they had always done whatever it took to either avoid each other or irritate the other as much as was humanely possible.

"Nothing. Just here to greet my _favourite_ person in the whole world." He snorted. Gathering her things, Sky slammed the door to her locker shut, flicking her hair over her shoulder and fixing him with a glare.

"Just spit it out, _Smith_. Unlike you, some of us actually have things to do." She told him smugly, goading him into reacting. Rolling his eyes, he handed her a slip of paper.

"It arrived at the office for you. Receptionist was passing and told me to give it to you." He explained shortly. She snatched the paper away, opening it and scanning the text. Then she beamed, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little. Intrigued, Jason leaned over to try and read it but she slapped him away without looking up. "What's it about?" He asked. Sky snorted, folding the paper up.

"Oh sure, because I'm really going to tell _you_ of all people!" She laughed. Glancing at her watch, Sky brushed past him. "By the way, you're going to be late for form." She added nonchalantly. Jason looked confused.

"Why?" He questioned. "It's right..." He trailed off, pointing at his usual form room. Then he spotted the sign.

'_9X room change, form room now it M14.'_

"...there." He finished finally. Then remembering M14 was on the other side of campus, he let out a yelp and took off, leaving Sky to laugh at his misfortune as she entered form herself. Sitting down in her seat next to Nat and Jessie, she turned to talk to her best friend whilst waiting for their teacher to arrive.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Nat asked. Sky smiled.

"Oh just irritating Jason Smith." She replied with a smirk. Nat rolled her eyes until she noticed the piece of paper her friend pulled from her pocket.

"And what is that?" She enquired. Sky smiled.

"My cousin has sent this to the school office, telling them that I have to leave early at 1:45 this afternoon." She told Nat, a gleam in her eyes.

"Why?"

"Because," Sky continued, a smile set in place. "My cousin is an archaeologist and explorer and her team have discovered something extremely important. But, it's down this tiny hole that nobody can fit through so..." She trailed off.

"They want you to help!" Nat exclaimed, shocked and pleased for Sky. The girl herself nodded. "That's so cool!" She cried, hugging Sky. Then she looked at her friend with huge puppy dog eyes. "Can I come?" She pouted. Sky bit her lip.

"I dunno Nat; it did say just me..." She reminded her friend regretfully.

"Oh _pleaase_!" She begged. Sky sighed.

"Okay, I'll ask! But I can't promise!" She warned Nat, who was dancing in her chair. Natalie didn't hear the last part, too excited about actually doing something exciting for once. She was usually the one who kept Sky in check whilst Sky found a way to turn the simplest thing into a crazy adventure. Even in a museum, the most boring place for a school trip, Sky had needed the 'toilet' and had managed to wander off, Natalie following with trepidation. The next moment they were being chased down corridors by angry security officers and hiding in rooms they weren't allowed in. Finally, it was her turn to be adventurous, at least a little bit. Their first lesson came, German, with Sky chatting to the teacher in fluent German (having had a German pen pal to help her learn before hand) whilst Natalie talked to her using the German she knew. The lesson came and went and before long Sky was outside on her phone trying to persuade her cousin whilst Natalie kept watch for teachers.

"Look, Max," She stated, glancing sideways at Nat. "She doesn't have to _do_ anything. She's desperate to have an adventure..." She pleaded. As soon as the word 'adventure' came up, he started protesting. "Let me finish!" She hissed at him. "But I know that can't happen. But if we let her stay and watch, say something went wrong with her harness, then there's no harm done! Easily solved!" She promised him cheerily. On the other end, Max groaned.

"Fine! She can come." He relented. "I really don't know how you talk me into this stuff." He muttered. At that comment, he heard his favourite cousin's laugh crackle out from the phone.

"Oh, it's because you love me." She teased. They both laughed before they said their goodbyes and hung up. Telling Nat the good news, Sky felt a twinge of regret burn inside her at the lie, but decided it was for the best. After all, she knew Nat. And, whilst her heart was in the right place, the girl just wasn't an adventurer. Whilst Sky would be busy climbing to the highest branch in the tree, Natalie would perch on the thick branches below, worried of the thinner ones snapping. If Sky was busy surfing, Nat would be sat on the beach with a book, instead of trying it herself. She was practical, reliable and sensible, but not willing to take enough risks to be an explorer. Her conscious once again clear, the two continued back to pack their things.

A few hours later and they were picked up by Max. Both he and Sky were very similar and loved each other dearly. However the appearance was not there. Whilst Max had honey blonde hair that fell perfectly, Sky had totally untameable middle brown hair. His eyes were green, hers were hazel with flecks of gold and green that shone through depending on the light. But you could tell they were related. Both had slight yet muscular builds- Sky still being smaller and skinner than her older cousin- and their face shape was similar. The one thing that people always commented on was the fact that they both had hair that reached down to their lower backs. Max had his tied in a loose ponytail, whilst Sky let hers blow free. However, as Natalie sat in the back she was surprised to see her friend pulling her unruly hair into a neat ponytail, hair scraped back from her face except for the odd flyaway strand. The two cousins exchanged stories, leaving Natalie with her thoughts.

"_Am I really cut out for this?" _She wondered silently, glancing at her friend and at Max who were seated in the front. _"I mean, those two are so daring and brave. They've done stuff like this all their lives. I'm just...not like them. I don't get into trouble. I don't go looking for adventure. Maybe I should just watch." _She mused. She looked at the pair sat in front of her again, now tuning in to their conversation.

"...So tell me about the dig then." Sky demanded eagerly. Max laughed, taking one hand off the wheel to pat the girl's shoulder.

"Well, we were picking up some really odd signals on the scanners of the local area; there were big electromagnetic pulses and heat signatures, coming from deep below the Earth. So we went to check out the source. After getting permission, we removed some turf that the owners of the land had put down and found this massive hole in the floor which led to an old tunnel. But nobody's been able to fit down it." He smiled.

"Until now." Sky reminded him with a cheeky shove. He inclined his head.

"Until now." He agreed. Then he grinned evilly at her. "You know, some people say there's a curse down there. That's why it hasn't been explored yet. You still think you're up for it?" He challenged, mocking her.

"Bring it on." She smirked at her relative. "My middle name's 'Danger'."

"Really? I thought it was Amelia." He said, pretending to be shocked. The two laughed. For a moment, Nat thought she'd been forgotten until Sky turned in her seat.

"You okay Nat?" She asked, genuinely concerned. "You haven't said a word since we got in the car." She noted, her brow creasing in worry. Natalie nodded.

"I'm fine. Just been thinking." She informed them. Sky looked unconvinced, but Max began talking again so she let the matter drop for the time being.

"Sorry, what Max?" Sky asked. Max tutted, but repeated what he had said nonetheless.

"I said that you probably want to know what you're doing, right?" He asked Sky, who nodded, now focused. He explained the basics to her and she nodded again. The remainder of the journey was silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts for a while. Eventually they arrived and all clambered out.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was huge." Natalie exclaimed, eyes wide. In front of them were around 10 different people all stood around an enormous hole in the ground. It was obviously fairly shallow as ladders could be seen inside, but the diameter was huge, at least a good 10ft across, if not more. Approaching it, Max acknowledged a few of the experts surveying the site and pulled back a tent flap, stepping inside with the two teenagers.

"Yep. Anyway, here's the deal." Just as he was about to continue, Max's phone rang. Holding up a hand, he answered it. He frowned, nodded a couple of times, grunted a couple of acquisitions and asked a few questions before saying a short goodbye and hanging up abruptly.

"Something wrong Max?" Sky asked, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. Max frowned before becoming serious, leaning on the desk and looking at them both.

"Yep. I just got off the phone with the site manager and turns out we only have the resources for one of you." He updated briskly. He looked them both in the eye. "Due to this development I need to be sure I'm sending the right person down." He explained seriously. He turned to Natalie. "I'm sorry Nat, but Sky has some experience in this stuff and I know she can handle it." He apologised. Natalie opened her mouth in shock and part anger.

"But I'm just as capable!" She exclaimed.

"That may be the case, but I don't _know_ that. Besides, even though you're Sky's best friend, you're not part of the family which means I'm risking more sending you down than her." He explained to the deflated girl. "Sky has dealt with similar situations to this." He added.

"She has?" Nat asked. Sky nodded.

"A couple of summers ago I helped Max out on another dig. I had to go through a few months prep and debriefing." She told her best friend briefly.

"Which is why Sky has to be the one to go. She's handled similar equipment and is used to this sort of situation." He finished. Nat sighed but nodded her acceptance, seeing the logic behind it. Sky nodded silently, her and her cousin communicating silently. Without another word, they moved out of the tent, falling into step with Natalie beside Sky. She listened and was surprised to find her best friend so business like.

A few minutes later Sky was ready to go and had climbed down into the hole the research team had made. The tunnel was marked out easily, with lights and technical equipment scattered around the area. She peered inside but could see nothing but blackness. A chilling sense of unease crept over her. Then her communicator crackled.

"You ready to go Sky?" Max's voice asked.

"Affirmative, captain." She joked, though inside she could feel nerves and excitement begin to mount, that familiar adrenaline rush beginning to surge through her veins.

"Very funny." He mocked. "Remember, you see anything funny, get yourself out." He ordered. "You're my favourite cousin, and I'm not putting up with Aunt Charlotte on my own this Christmas." He added.

"Oh, fetch a doctor, my sides need stitching back up." She remarked sarcastically.

"I'm serious though, Sky. Be careful." He warned.

"When am I not?" She replied. "On second thoughts, don't answer that." She muttered. Crouching down, she turned and looked up. Natalie was peering anxiously over the edge of some yellow tape with Max close behind, an ear piece and microphone in place. With a smile, Sky turned around to face the endless darkness of the tunnel before her. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the top of it, digging her nails into the earth as she slid herself down the gentle slope feet first. After she had used momentum to take her deep into the endless darkness, she swivelled around awkwardly until she was lying on her stomach. Sighing, she switched her headlamp on and began crawling forwards.

"...Sky?" Her communicator crackled, static partially obscuring Max's voice. "Sky can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Max. Loud- and- clear." She grunted, pushing herself along.

"What can you see down there?" He asked, voice eager.

"Not much." She admitted, still crawling. "It's just...dark." She described. "There nothing I can s-!" She started to say, but cut off with a yell. For, as she'd propelled herself forward with her foot, the floor had suddenly vanished beneath her and Sky found herself tumbling down. She fell for what felt like ages, until she hit the ground with an almighty crash, the sound echoing in the eerie darkness.

**Not very Power Rangers, I know. But the first part is a two parter, so I'll have posted the next chapter within at least 2 weeks, 3 weeks maximum.**

**Question: What would be your reaction to Sky's situation at the end? Let me know in your reviews!**

**Leave a review so I know what you guys think. Remember, you help me make this story so please click the button. Thank you!**

**Thanks a million! As I said, don't forget to review and answer the Question (best answers will be mentioned in the next chapter)**

**JJ **


	2. Chapter 2 part II

**A/N: Well, here is the second part to the first chapter of the story! In this one we see less OCs and more Power Rangers as promised! Sorry for being so long but I have to work around school and other commitments! Anyway, a big thanks to anyone who reviewed, favourite or put this on story alert!**

_Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my story and my OCs. The rest belongs to Saban/Disney/BVE respectively and I make no profit from this. I do NOT own Power Rangers, just so we're clear. But I can dream._

And now, enjoy chapter 2!

Sky awoke with a groan. Pressing a hand to her head, she felt the cold smooth plastic of her helmet. With a moan, she slowly sat up, using the rocky cave wall to prevent her from collapsing. As she shifted position, she heard a crunching sound. Looking down, Sky saw her communicator lying in bits on the floor. Reasoning that it must have broken on impact, the thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't ended up in a similar state. However, she realised with a sinking sensation she was now cut off from the others. Glancing up she couldn't see exactly how far she'd dropped down, or if there was any way to get back up. Clambering to her feet, she stood unsteadily. Running a hand over the wall, she found a crevice and dug her fingers into it, finding another spot for her foot. With great difficulty, she pushed herself up the rock face. Then the rock broke away from the wall and she was sent careering back down again. Turning around, she decided to venture deeper into the darkness, hoping to find another way out. Slowly, she took tentative steps into the unknown.

Some time later, Sky was still walking down endless passages. Growing tired, she felt like giving up and returning to where she had started. But, after a couple more minutes, she noticed a speck of light in the distance. Encouraged, she continued, increasing her speed. Sky slowed down when she realised that the light was actually coming from something beneath the ground. Curious, she bent down, running her fingertips across the hard rock. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. For the rock surface seemed to change. It would go from the expected hard, uneven surface to smooth and almost polished, like marble. Her headlight now fading a little, she tilted the helmet to reveal that there was actually a circular structure in the floor with a symbol in the centre. Intrigued, she noted that the symbol was raised above the rest of the circular panel. Curiosity peaked, she pressed down on the little emblem. The whole panel quivered and shook as soon as she'd pushed the seal down and she backed away. She watched in rapt fascination as the panel lifted a good couple of inches off the ground before moving sideways a little, exposing more light. Moving closer again, Sky pushed at the panel with all her strength and moved it slowly until a hole was exposed, just big enough for a person to fit through. All sensible thoughts were eclipsed from Sky's mind as she lowered herself down through the floor, dangling in mid air for a second before she dropped to the ground, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. She shielded her eyes as they adjusted the unusually bright light in front of her. Squinting, Sky realised that the light source was strange. It seemed to be hovering near the ceiling, but not quite touching it. She took her hard hat off, no longer thinking of her safety and let it drop to the floor with a clatter. Then, the light moved. She frowned.

"Impossible..." She murmured. Shifting position, she knocked her helmet, the sound echoing. Once again, the light leapt from one point to another. Then it swung right into Sky's face. With a yelp she put a hand over her eyes and staggered backwards, moving away until her back hit the rock wall. Screwing her eyes shut, Sky felt spots dance and flash under her eyelids. Finally, the ball of light seemed to retreat and she cracked open her eyes a fraction. Satisfied she wouldn't be blinded, Sky pushed herself off the wall once more. She then took in her surroundings. The walls weren't normal; she was sure of that. Although the rock was the same as it had been at the surface there were now rivers of some kind of brand new type of stone, thin streams of rock carving through the caverns walls. She looked at the walls again. The new rock ran in thin rivers down each side of the wall in a variety of colours. Red, blue, yellow, green, white, pink, black were common colours but she noticed other streaks in the normal rock face as well. There was one river of crimson with a navy one close by. She saw a gold one, a silver one, all of them simple in their path. That was the part that puzzled her most. Had these carvings been formed naturally, then she was sure they would have split off, cutting through the rock into little tiny roots from the main river. But instead they remained in a single line, disappearing into the shadows. She ran her fingers over the normal rock face, then over the unusual coloured markings. Then the ball of light caught her attention. She stared at it, determined to ignore the instinct to cover her eyes, as she tried to figure out exactly what it was. Whatever it was, she decided, it seemed to be..._alive_. It moved jerkily, moving in sharp spurts. It edged towards her. Suddenly, she felt an odd presence ghost over her, making her skin crawl. She wondered what the orb felt like. She stared at it, enthralled by the mystery which surrounded it. Then, as if in slow motion, she lifted her arm up, stretching her fingers out. Soon her hand was a hairsbreadth away from the glowing, pulsating light source. Then she leaned over and pressed her hand against it. At once a burst of light came from the centre of the orb and she felt an electric current run through her hand.

"Argh!" She screamed. Staggering away from the orb, she accidently brushed her injured hand against one of the coloured rocks embedded in the wall. In amazement, she watched as each individual strand lit up in turn, as if in a specific order. The orb itself had now dimmed slightly and was hovering near her once more, as if it _wanted_ her to touch it again. So, without thinking, she did. This time there was no electricity. No, only a warmth that spread from the orb into her. To Sky it felt as if the light had somehow got under her skin and was now lighting her up from the inside out, making her feel warm and pleasant. However, her curiosity at these developments continuously nagged at her so she followed the coloured ribbons, the orb now residing just in front of her, guiding her through the dark.

Soon enough she came across what looked like stone steps. Her heart jumped at the thought of another exit, so she began to climb. As she continued her upwards descent, her thoughts turned to how much time had passed. She had no way of telling from the sights, and her watch had broken with the communicator when she'd first found herself in these caverns. She wondered if the others were worried. Her thoughts were erased at that point as she spotted a ledge. The little ball of light indicated she should go that way so, instead of continuing upwards Sky took a detour. Stepping onto the ledge, Sky looked and saw a small yet ornate basin. Approaching, she used the light orb to peer into it. The basin was filled to the brim with water. She grasped the edge with both hands and watched in shocked fascination as the waters rippled and darkened. Then, out of the inky black liquid, a person appeared. Her face was hidden by a large hood, but the long dark hair spilling out from underneath it suggested that the stranger was female.

"Greetings." She addressed Sky, her tone friendly. "I see that you have found your way into our sacred chambers." She noted.

"What?" Sky breathed. "This can't be happening." She muttered, looking away. "I must have hit my head when I fell. I'm hallucinating and this all just one really whacky dream." She consoled herself, eyes closed as she spoke aloud to herself. "There is not a woman in a bowl of water talking to me about sacred chambers." She insisted. The anonymous woman laughed softly.

"I am afraid that it _is_ happening and I _am_ talking to you." She apologised. Sky opened her eyes abruptly and whirled back to the basin, staring into it.

"You're...real?" She checked dubiously. The woman nodded. "Well...alright then." Sky decided eventually.

"You're fine with this?" The woman checked, surprised. Sky smiled.

"I believe anything's possible, I just don't like to get my hopes up until I'm certain." She explained with a cheeky grin. The strange image nodded approvingly.

"A wise philosophy." She remarked. "So, how did you find yourself in these caverns?" She asked. Sky recited her story from the beginning, not missing out a single thing. The woman listened intently, staying silent up until the point where Sky mentioned touching the ball of light. "You touched the orb?" She questioned suddenly. Sky nodded slowly. "And you _survived_?" She gasped, her voice awed.

"Yes..." Sky started slowly, still looking at the dark waters. "Is that unusual?" She asked.

"Very. But please, continue." The stranger motioned with her hand. Shrugging it off mentally (her day was already bizarre, she couldn't say what was odd anymore. She _was_ talking to the image of a hooded woman in some water in a basin inside a cavern after all.) Sky continued, finally finishing her story. The woman nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, you are the one." She muttered, more to herself than to Sky. Looking back at the girl, who was stood with a confused expression, the woman straightened up to her full height. "It is time you knew the history of the 'colours in the wall' as you so put it." She declared.

"Great!" Sky exclaimed. "So...what are they?"

"Each colour represents a Power Ranger." The woman announced. Sky looked at her, not buying what she said.

"Erm...Power Rangers are a TV show for kids. They're not real." She stated matter-of-factly. The anonymous figure crossed her arms.

"Oh really?" She said, annoyance evident. Suddenly, an image burst forth from the water, hovering a few feet above it like an ancient hologram. It showed 6 teenagers all suddenly morph into colourful spandex suits before running off. Sky stood with her mouth open. The image retreated into the water once again. "Convinced?" The woman asked smugly. Sky swallowed and nodded.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"Anyway, I cannot convey the entire Power Rangers history by word of mouth, it would take far too long so instead I will implant the information into your head." She told Sky formally.

"Sounds painful." Sky mumbled but the mystery woman shook her head.

"Not at all. Simply touch the orb once again. Be warned, you may feel disorientated after and you will have a really bad headache, but those are normal." She rushed through, brisk. Shrugging, Sky turned, flipping her ponytail back and watching the orb. Pushing her worries and fears to the back of her mind, she reached out and touched the orb once again. All at once her mind was assaulted with countless images and a barrage of information came tumbling into her head.

"_No wonder she said I'd have a headache."_ Sky thought distractedly as more pictures flowed into her mind. Finally, after a few painful minutes of download information, Sky retracted her hand and staggered around a bit, her headache intensifying and dizziness setting in. "Wow." She gasped out. "That's... a lot to take in." She admitted. "Ugh..." She moaned, putting a hand to her head.

"You'll be fine in a few hours." The stranger shrugged off, uncaring. "Now, I showed you that for a reason."

"What reason?" Sky asked.

"This is the chamber where the idea of Power Rangers was first conceived, and the idea behind them was born." The woman stated proudly. "A long time ago, at the beginning of Creation, there was a tribe of people known as the Nameless. They were beings, nothing specific, just beings that were there to bring goodness to the entirety of Creation. But there must be a balance between Good and Evil, otherwise everything would collapse." She continued on, voice wistful. "And so Creation compensated. To match the pure goodness of the Nameless, it created a being made purely of Evil. It was never named, so we simply called it the Evil. For years the Nameless fought the Evil and they would have succeeded; except the Evil was made of energy."

"And energy cannot be created or destroyed." Sky filled in, realisation filling her mind. The cloaked woman nodded.

"Exactly. For a long while this battle raged on until the Nameless came up with a plan. They sealed the Evil inside a separate creation, a universe. And they sealed it within a galaxy, and in that galaxy inside a planet. They sealed it inside Earth." She clarified to a stunned Sky. "So, the Evil rebelled and vowed that whilst trapped in Earth he would send minions to destroy the planet that trapped him so he would be released once more. In order to combat this, the Nameless created the Morphing Grid, along with Ninjor and the Power Rangers. But they needed a way to monitor the Evil, to ensure he wouldn't have a single opportunity of escaping. So they created two new things. Space and Time." The figure narrated, retelling the events.

"So, what does this have to do with me?" Sky asked, still confused as to why she was being told all this.

"What I haven't mentioned," The woman carried on as if Sky hadn't spoken. "Is that these events did not take place in your universe. Instead they took place in one parallel to yours. The Nameless created many universes as an added precaution, so the Evil would have even more barriers preventing its escape. Everything that happens in the Ranger's universe has an effect on yours. But, lately the Evil has become more restless." The lady under the hood fixed her gaze on Sky, though she kept her eyes hidden. "You are the first to discover these chambers since the Nameless set foot in them. Though we don't know why, we believe that the next minion that the Evil will send out will be more challenging to the Rangers than before, and that they will need help. Not only that, we _know_ that this minion will try to obtain control of more than one universe. Namely, he will come into this universe."

"What!" Sky exclaimed, headache forgotten as she gripped the bowl.

"I know. Which is why we need you." The woman said patiently. "As I said, you are the first to have set foot in these caves. You would not have been able to were you not the right person. Your DNA is just right for what we need you for."

"But what _do_ you need me to?" Sky asked again.

"Your DNA has the slight instability in the base code so that you can travel across universes. Which is why we want you to take the amulet the Nameless left behind. It will turn you into the Ultimate Warrior, and the Ultimate Dragon Ranger. Should you take the amulet, then you will need to travel to the Ranger's universe to help them. Do you agree?" The woman asked. It was clear that this was the point she had been most anxious to get to, for she leaned forward in her seat. Sky turned away from the image in the water, biting her lip.

"_If I agree, then I have to leave __**everything**__ behind. I lose everything. I will have to start from scratch."_ She thought. _"Could I really do that?"_ She wondered. Then she reviewed the information now stored in her brain. _"But if I don't, then the other universe will be taken over by Evil, and then who knows what could happen! I can't let that become a reality. I just can't."_ She realised. Nodding, she turned around.

"I'll do it." She agreed. The woman smiled.

"In that case, you only have one last thing you must do to prove yourself." She announced.

"What?" Sky asked warily. As if on cue, the orb moved and illuminated a sheer rock face, with jagged rocks below, only a few flat ones allowing her to travel across to the wall.

"You must retrieve the amulet from atop the ledge." The anonymous woman stated assertively. Sky swallowed hard. This was bigger than anything she'd ever done before. "Do you accept the challenge?" She asked Sky. Sky paused, glancing up and down the rock face, then smirked.

"Bring it on." She said, already leaving the bowl, barely registering the waters disappearing. Glancing at the rocks, she jumped onto one stepping stone which wobbled beneath her weight. Realising this challenge, Sky immediately began hopping as quickly as she could between them. However, as she stepped on one, a section of the ceiling opened up. Reflexively, she glanced up to see large sharp rocks falling from the opening. Like lighting, she darted to the next rock. "Phew, close one." She muttered, still hopping towards to wall.

Eventually, she reached her intended destination. Looking around, Sky recalled her rock climbing skills from before she started scaling the rock face, albeit with some difficulty. She was around half way up when she reached for a hand hold once more. Suddenly the rock crumbled away and Sky found herself falling. Reacting fast, she reached out and clung on to a nearby rocky outlet, jutting out away from the rock face. She knew without looking that the trouser leg of her suit had ripped and she had gashed her knee badly. Gritting her teeth, she started hauling herself back up again, determinedly ignoring the pain from her leg. "Come...on," She grunted to herself. "You can do this." She reminded herself. "Do it for the Rangers." She scolded herself, pushing further up the rock face. "I _can_ do this." She affirmed, talking to herself as she managed to climb past the part of the wall which had defeated her before. By the time she was nearly at the top, Sky was in excruciating pain. Having suffered several mishaps on her way up, her arm was bruised and throbbing, her head had a profusely bleeding gash near the hairline after a collision with a sharp rock when she lost her footing and her leg was now worse than before, the gash now stretching down her calf. But she didn't stop. Crawling up, she heaved herself over the edge. Finally there, she stood up, grinding her teeth against the pain, hissing when it flared up in her leg. Hobbling around, she surveyed the area before spotting a pedestal at the back of the ledge. Limping over, Sky saw the amulet was set in the stone, an old silver medallion. The medallion was in the shape of a crescent moon, the two ends of the crescent joined together. Tired, injured and reckless, Sky didn't think as she pulled the amulet from the stone. The platform then began shaking violently. Realising the cave was collapsing, Sky looked round and spotted another ledge a bit further away. Running to the back of the platform, she gripped tightly to the amulet. Running, she took off from the edge, stretching out her hand. By the tips of her fingers, she managed to grip the edge.

After she had pulled herself up onto her shelter as the platform sank into the cave floor, the stone which once held the amulet disappearing with it. Raising her eyebrows at the spectacle, Sky started examining the amulet. With wide eyes, she watched as it began glowing in her grasp. It got brighter and brighter until the light engulfed her. The light faded after a moment, leaving Sky exactly as she was. Except now there was a morpher on her wrist, and the amulet was now a pendant, a simple material chain attached to it. At that point the mysterious woman's voice rang out again.

"You have proved yourself worthy. But now you have to go." She called out, voice echoing. At these words a portal appeared, green and black colours swirling together. Taking a deep breath Sky jumped headlong into it and found herself tumbling through a kaleidoscope of colours before she felt herself hit the ground with a thump. Standing up, Sky felt nausea consume her and she was about to fall until she felt two arms catch her. Sky turned and found herself looking into the face of a concerned young woman with warm brown eyes and matching hair.

"Hey there, you okay?" The woman asked. Sky disentangled herself and stood up slowly.

"Oh, I'm...fine." she replied, taking in her surroundings. "Though something tells me I'm not in Kansas anymore." She muttered to herself.

"What?" The woman asked sharply.

"Nothing." Sky replied quickly. "Listen, this might sound like a bizarre question, but where am I? And what country is this?" She asked, staring around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The woman seemed puzzled at this request, but answered all the same.

"You're in Silver Hills. And, if you want to know exactly where you are, you're in California, USA." She replied. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" She asked again as Sky blinked once, not reacting. Without warning, Sky ran over and plucked a newspaper off a random stall. One look at the front page confirmed the woman was telling the truth, but something else threw Sky off guard.

"Okay...what year is this?"

"What?" The kind stranger replied, caught off guard at the odd question.

"What year is this?" Sky repeated.

"2001. Why?" The stranger asked, now suspicious. Sky threw the paper back onto the stall.

"Er, no reason." She replied vaguely.

"Listen, why don't you come back to where I'm staying with my friends? Maybe we can help." She explained, walking towards Sky. Realising this was a very bad idea, Sky shook her head quickly.

"No that's fine I...I need to go." She stuttered, already backing away.

"No really, I insist." The woman persisted, following Sky. "My name's Jen, Jennifer Scotts." She introduced herself. "What about you?"

"Erm, I'm Sky." Sky replied, looking about for an escape route. Noticing a side alley, she smiled at Jen. "Well, Jen, thanks for your concern but I'd _really_ better be going now." She excused herself hurriedly, still backing away. "Maybe I'll see you around at some point. Anyway, see you!" She called out, before turning and sprinting away, never more grateful for her ability at running. She heard Jen follow.

"Wait! I'm not going to..." She trailed off as Sky rounded a corner and continued to pelt away into the distance. As soon as the footsteps stopped, Sky breathed a sigh of relief and ran down to the beach, ready to find some solitude and sort out her head.

Meanwhile Jen had stopped and stared at the retreating figure of the girl. She knew that something wasn't right about Sky. Her outfit looked like caving gear and she was bleeding and filthy whilst stood in the middle of the street. Her accent was British so it was obvious she wasn't from America and there was something that just seemed off about her. However Jen didn't know why, but she knew that Sky wasn't dangerous. "...Hurt you." She finished sadly as the teenager rounded a corner. As she stood pondering the mystery that had presented itself, she heard Wes come up behind her.

"Something wrong?" He asked in a friendly manner. Shaking her head, they turned and began to walk away. But even as she returned to the Clock Tower, Jen decided she would find Sky and figure out exactly what was going on.

**Okay, did you like it?**

**Well, we're in the PR universe at last and Sky has run into Jen. I know I said there would be more PR in this and I hope I delivered!**

**Leave a review to let me know what you think and, if you review, I will send each reviewer a sneak preview of chapter 3- where the REAL storyline begins!**

**So go on, press that little button and make my day! **

**Thanks,**

**JJ x**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here we go with chapter number three! And, guys, I appreciate the favourites and the story alerts that I have received, but can you spare me some time to review this story please? I'm really desperate for feedback, so just leave a little something in the reviews, pretty please?**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers but I DO own a brand new Eragon book! All rights go to Saban/BVE/ Disney, I make no profit from this._

Now, if you bothered to read any of that, on with the plot!

Jen was walking back with the others in silence, mind elsewhere. None of the others noticed, too caught up in their own conversation, except for Wesley Collins, the Red Ranger.

"_Something's wrong..."_ the young man realised looking at his friend, still quiet. Instead of voicing his concern, he wandered across and asked "Hey, you okay?" whilst placing a concerned hand on Jen's shoulder. Alarmed, she started slightly then relaxed as she saw who it was.

"Yeah, it's just..." she trailed off, unsure of how to explain.

"Just?" Wes prompted. Jen gave him a look warning him to back off but he just sent her a stubborn glare in response. Relenting, she told Wes about her encounter with the odd girl in the city. Wes remained quiet as Jen finished her story. Slowly, he turned to the others. "Guys, me and Jen are headed for some pizza; we'll catch you guys up." He called out. They all exchanged knowing glances and shrugged, walking away. Jen frowned as she swore she heard Katie mumble,

"Oh sure, they're going for _pizza_." She snorted. Just as the Pink Ranger was opening her mouth to retort angrily, Wes hurried her away.

"Now, you said she was wearing caving gear?" He clarified. Jen nodded. They sat down in the park. It was a beautiful place, the hedges neatly trimmed with a large open space and plenty of trees for shade. By this point in the day the sky had started to get darker and was now streaked through with purple and gold, the sun shimmering like a breathtaking golden orb, glittering over the waters. It was so perfect. And yet there were traces of Ransik's presence everywhere. Kids, glancing nervously about as they played. The parents too, forever watchful of their child now- never letting them out of their sight for a single moment. As Wes surveyed the scene, he glanced at the beach. As his gaze drifted over the landscape of the golden white sands, then spotted a tiny figure sat perched on a rock by the cliffs. They were alone, whoever they were, and didn't seem to register the tide coming in. Even as he was staring, Wes noticed something with alarm. He stood up abruptly.

"Wes?" Jen asked, surprised by the sudden action. She followed his gaze.

"That child's going to get cut off!" Wes shouted, already taking off at a run. The urge to help overpowering everything, Jen followed suit, sprinting towards the beach. Their earlier plans to talk long forgotten, the pair streaked towards the beach which was rapidly disappearing. As they jumped a barrier and began running across the sands, Jen recognised the girl vaguely. As she approached, Jen spotted a small, torn and muddy suit floating away and it all clicked.

"Wes!" she cried out, panting slightly. "That's her; that's Sky!" She hollered at him. But, even as they approached, the girl stood up on her perch. The water was now surrounding the rocks and Wes removed his red shirt, preparing to dive in and save the stranded teenager. The two rangers watched as Sky gazed out across the ocean. Then she ripped her bobble from her hair, allowing it to fly out behind her in the sea breeze. By doing this, Jen and Wes got a good look at her face. She had a, still, bleeding gash near her forehead somewhere, for they could see the blood still trickling down the side of her face and her jeans were torn in one leg, exposing another cut. Her arms were bruised and she seemed generally beaten, with mud and grime caking her face and hands. Before anyone could react, the injured and battered child lifted her arms and plunged gracefully into the water with an elegant dive. Wes lunged after her, running into the sea and submerging himself. To his surprise, he saw a pair of jeans kick past him in a bizarre direction. Determined to help the girl he followed, squinting through the murky depths. Following the child, he kept up with some difficulty. Then he followed the mysterious girl into a steep dive. He felt the pressure mounting in his ears and knew he would need to surface for air soon. At that point, he saw her slip through a small crack in the rock face, an entrance almost, and vanish from view. His lungs bursting he ascended, coughing and spluttering as he reached the surface of the water. Sucking in a deep breath, he dove under the waters once again. Finding the entrance, he squeezed inside also.

As he passed through, he started swimming upwards again and emerged into a tiny chamber, the waters shallow enough for him to walk through. Stumbling onto dry land, Wes lay on his back, staring up at the cave ceiling. It was arched and smooth, as if it were carved. Hearing receding footsteps, he jumped up and followed the sound. The tunnels were endless, or so it seemed, but at last he had run fast enough to spot a light glimmering ahead, bobbing along as the person he had been tracking walked on ahead, oblivious. Slowing, he continued his silent pursuit. They took many twists and turns; so many that Wes gave up trying to remember after the thirtieth switch in direction. Eventually, the bobbing light seemed to halt and he heard grunts of effort. Cautiously, he peered around and noticed a slight young girl shifting rubble. He watched with amusement as she tugged on a rock that refused to move. Moving on the girl, whom he assumed was called Sky from what Jen had explained, moved some more rocks then finally snapped.

"Oh this is useless!" She complained aloud, throwing a stone at the others violently. As it sailed through the air, the rock caught fire and, when it hit the others, they too burst into shocking flames, the heat sending the teenager staggering away. When the flames died away, the path was clear. "Woah, that was...weird." She muttered. Shaking her head and making her brown hair fly everywhere, the strange child continued on her quest, obviously sure of the direction she was headed in. "God, this was so much easier last time!" She grumbled, turning down another passage. But no, not a passage Wes realised, but a corridor. Looking at his surroundings, he saw the floor was flat and smooth with fine sand covering the ground like a carpet. The walls had many paintings on them, most obscure and confusing images that meant nothing to the once-heir to Bio Lab. The ceiling was high and arched, but clearly not natural.

"This must have been hidden for centuries." He whispered to himself as he and the unknowing Sky trekked through more corridors. Finally, she came to a stop at a seemingly random part of the complex and knelt down. Wordlessly, she pulled away a panel from the floor and dropped down through it. Wes followed suit, landing soundlessly on the soft ground. The terrain began sloping upwards as the two climbed. Eventually Sky seemed to come across what she was looking for. Touching something around her neck with one hand, she stretched out and touched a rocky wall with another. To Wes's shock and amazement the wall gained a silvery glow around part of it, moving out away from the remaining walls before it sunk further back and slid to the side. As Sky ducked into this new chamber, Wes slipped in behind. He ducked behind an object – he believed it was a chair, but couldn't be 100% sure – and peered around the edge, watching the girl. First he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a bedroom. Although the walls were rock, there were smooth like marble and had beautiful flowers in a rainbow of colours painted across the room. At one end was a small bed, gold sheets draped across it and a wooden headboard. There was a little archway leading off to what the Red Ranger could only guess was a wardrobe. Watching from his cramped hiding spot, he looked on as Sky jumped onto the bed, shaking her wet hair and dripping water everywhere. She gingerly touched a hand to her hairline, then winced and pulled it away quickly. Sitting Indian-style on the bed, she pulled out a necklace she had been wearing and examined it. The girl frowned, using one hand to push some hair out of her face.

"What do you do?" She muttered to herself, turning the pendant over in her hands. The pendant started glowing at that point and she rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Does _everything_ here have some sort of glow effect?" She exclaimed, raising her eyes to the ceiling. However, as the glow grew brighter Sky closed her eyes as the glow became a part of her, shimmering across her skin as she sat cross legged on her bed. After a few eerie moments, the silvery aura subsided. To Wes's surprise he saw that there was now a beautifully crafted morpher on her left wrist, very different to the chrono-morpher that he wore, yet it still had its own unique beauty."Wow." She breathed out, blowing some hair out of her eyes again as she examined the morpher now secured on her wrist. Just then Wes shifted his weight and kicked a rock, sending it rolling out from his hidey-hole. Sky froze and whirled around to where he was crouched. "Hello?" She called out. "Anybody there?" She asked again. Wes held his breath, waiting as she approached steadily. Just as Sky was about to discover him, her morpher began beeping. She looked at it, puzzled, before she touched her necklace. After she closed her eyes serenely for a few moments, she pressed a button and the beeping was silenced. She then turned to where Wes was hiding. From his view he saw her bite her lip. Then she took a hesitant step towards him. Deciding to make a break for it, Wes shot up and started running for the door. But after a few steps found himself lying on his back after having his feet swept out from underneath him.

"Oof!" He gasped out as he collided with the ground. Looking up he saw the girl, Sky, staring at him with slightly fearful eyes, crouched over him like she was checking he was okay. As he started to get up she started and leapt up, giving him one last stricken glance before she streaked away. Groaning he ran after her. Following her, he watched as the teenager twisted and turned through hallways and corridors. Finally, having had enough of the chase, Wes growled and put on an extra burst of speed. Using the momentum he had gained he flipped in the air, landing neatly in front of the startled young woman. As she spun on her heels he grabbed her arm in a vice like grip.

"Let go of me!" She yelled, tugging furiously. For her age, Wes noted that she was surprisingly strong. But he was stronger and held firm.

"No." His reply was calm and even. Her eyes betrayed her fear.

"Please." She whispered. At that point, Wes understood what was going through her mind. He realised that she thought he was there to kidnap her for her morpher and, possibly, the power she had shown earlier on when blasting those rocks. Coupled with the fact she had just been shrouded in a strange- almost mystical- aura, he supposed it was enough to make anyone afraid of strangers; particularly if they had just broken into where you lived and had followed you home.

"I'm not here to hurt you." He promised. Sky looked dubious, her eyes still darting about for an escape. Afraid that she would escape he hoisted her up over his shoulders and carried her in a fireman's lift, ignoring her cries of protest and her flailing limbs. Finally, she gave up twisting and trying to escape his grasp and went limp on his shoulders.

"You know there are much more _civilised_ ways of doing things than this." She reprimanded from her awkward position. Wes smiled.

"Really? I had no idea!" He shot back, sarcastic. Sky huffed and fell silent.

"If you're looking for the bedroom then you just missed it." She pointed out.

"Huh?" He replied, confused. A giggle escaping her, Sky pointed back slightly.

"The doorway's over there. If you'll put me down," She shot him a glare at those words. "I'll show you." She explained. Reluctant, he did as she asked and watched her closely as she repeated her actions from earlier. Sure enough, the wall moved away and they walked back into her bedroom once again. "See? I'm not running away! Happy?" She remarked, flopping down onto the edge of the bed. As she was received with silence, Sky sighed and let her head drop into her hands. "Sorry," She apologised. "It's been a long day." She explained shortly. Wes slowly sat down next to her.

"Want to talk? I doubt I could find my way out, and the exit's probably flooded anyway; I'm not going anywhere." He remarked, only causing the lonely child to laugh humourlessly.

"Don't worry, there's another exit to the surface. You can leave soon." She replied coldly.

"Well, unlucky for you, I've no sense of direction." Wes countered. Sky looked at him, pursing her lips before proceeding to fix her gaze on the opposite wall.

"You're not going to give up on this, are you?" She asked resignedly. Wes shook his head and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine then, I'll tell you." She relented. Shifting position so she was comfortable, Sky relayed her story from the beginning, Wes sitting on in silence. She wasn't sure how long she talked for but Wes seemed content to sit and listen. When she explained about the caving opportunity, he interrupted her for the first time.

"You go caving?" He asked, stunned. Sky gave a small smile and nodded.

"I'm tougher than I appear. I also do martial arts, surfing and just generally stuff that gives me a thrill." She reeled off briskly, before continuing. She explained about the strange woman in the bowl of water, plus how she received all her injuries. With a brief and cold smile, she rolled her jeans up to show the deep gash on her calf and pushed her hair back to expose the cut to her head. She then described meeting Jen and running off.

"...Then I came here, and you know the rest." She finished. Wes frowned.

"But how did you know where the entrance was?" He enquired, curious. Sky really did smile at the question, tapping her necklace.

"This is the amulet I found. And, it's more than just a pretty decoration. The Nameless stored so much power in here, the entire power of the Morphing Grid."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that it guides me in whatever I do. Any information I require gets downloaded straight into my brain along with any abilities." She looked down at it, her smile softening and showing fondness.

"How did you find out what it could do?" Wes questioned, intrigued. Sky's eyes grew misty as she recalled the moment not so long ago...

_**~~~Flashback~~~**_

_She was running, desperate to get away. Even she knew that if anyone worked out who she __really__ was then it would be game over for her and she'd be strapped on a autopsy table before she could say 'dimensional transportation'. She continued to run until she spotted the beach stretching out before her. Sprinting down to the steps she slid down the railings, ignoring looks people gave her, and jogged over to a secluded spot by the cliff, needing time to think._

"_**What do you **__**do**__**?" **__She thought as she turned her necklace over in her hands. Then she realised her leg was itchy and moved to scratch it, except her hand met only the rough fabric of her caving gear. __**"No wonder I've been getting odd looks!" **__She rolled her eyes mentally and removed the gear, dropping it onto the sands nearby. As she held the cold metal pendant in her hands, it suddenly began warming up. The silvery metal started glowing faintly, hardly noticeable in the daylight. And then, as if by magic, a voice rang out inside her mind._

"_**Finally! I've been waiting for you to try and figure me out for blooming ages!"**__ The voice exclaimed by way of greeting. Sky shot up and looked around, trying to find a source of the voice. __**"Er, try again deary. Look down a little and you'll spot me."**__ The voice directed. Following instructions, Sky did as she was told and gasped._

"_You're inside the-!" She started to shout but the voice cut her off._

"_**Yes I'm inside the pendant and would you mind not screaming that for all and sundry to hear? I think a family in China didn't quite catch what you said!"**__ The voice harrumphed. __**"If you want to speak to me, please **__**think**__** what you want to say." **__It ordered._

"_**Oh please, like it can hear my thoughts..."**__ Sky scoffed._

"_**You wanna bet?" **__The voice challenged._

"_**Oh! You really can!"**_

"_**Well never, I just said it for fun!" **__The pendant's voice declared sarcastically. Sky blushed mentally._

"_**Oh, sorry." **__She apologised. The voice almost waved her off._

"_**Meh, it's cool. I hardly expected you to believe it straight away, even after what has happened to you." **__The voice reasoned coolly._

"_**Okay...so what are you doing in my head and who are you?"**__ Sky asked._

"_**Well, can see you're not one for mincing your words." **__The pendant remarked cheerily. __**"And since you asked so nicely, I will tell you. I am the embodiment of the Morphing Grid that the Nameless stored in this pendant ready for the warrior who would be able to combat the Evil and his minions. I'm here to help you out and provide you with anything you need, as well as be a guide and just a general friend. You can call me, er, well I actually don't have a name. Any suggestions?" **__The, still unnamed, voice asked pleasantly._

"_**Er, well, if you were destined to be bonded to me...how about Destiny?"**__ She asked hesitantly. The voice mused for a moment._

"_**Hmm...Destiny... I like it. Destiny and Sky," **__The voice stated happily._

"_**The ultimate team."**__ Sky chipped in._

"_**Of course!"**__ The newly named Destiny agreed wholeheartedly. For the next few hours, Destiny answered any questions Sky had. Often with her own added comment, Destiny filled in Sky on any details that she wanted to know. Satisfied for the time being, Sky began chatting with Destiny._

"_**So, why me then?" **__She asked politely. Destiny shrugged mentally._

"_**You were the right person. You might not see it now, but you are a truly selfless person, deep down. Plus your DNA is perfect to blend with the Morphing Grid, myself, and this universe of course. You were the only candidate." **__She replied smugly. __**"Besides,"**__ Destiny added cheerily. __**"You're the only person I wouldn't be bored with."**__ She notified Sky, who laughed softly. Just then, they heard footsteps coming towards them. __**"Heads up, we have company approaching fast at 3 o'clock. Time for evasive action, me thinks." **__Destiny warned the teenager. Turning her head, Sky spotted two figures headed towards them. One she recognised._

"_Jen..." She groaned aloud, then glanced around surreptitiously. The tide had come in and her rock was surrounded. __**"Er, take evasive action to **__**where**__**?" **__She asked, still seated on her small perch. _

"_**Where do you think?"**_

"_**I am **__**not**__** jumping in there- it's got to be freezing! And there's nowhere nearby for me to swim to."**__ Sky thought back, irritated._

"_**Chill! I know somewhere. The Nameless built more than one exit to their complex. There's one under the water in the side of the cliff face, I'll do my glowy thing to guide you there. So stop whining and jump!" **__Destiny commanded. Rolling her eyes, Sky did as she was ordered, blocking out the shouting coming from further down the beach. Going for the dramatic effect, she ripped her hair from her bobble before diving in as she had been taught. Slipping into the waters, she allowed Destiny to lead her to an opening in the cliff face. Trusting her guide, she slipped through into the cave and wandered through, excited and unaware of what was to follow._

_**~~~End Flashback~~~**_

"And you really do know the rest." She concluded her story with a sad smile. Wes frowned. She had been through so much, so why was she so determined to shut everybody out? He knew that question would not be answered however, so he asked a different one.

"So...why are you still here?"

"Huh?" This time the troubled teen looked confused.

"Well, I get that this is the closest thing to home right now, but it isn't exactly practical." He reasoned. "You have no food, no money to get any food, and you've only got the clothes on your back, notwithstanding the morpher and Destiny." He listed, ticking the things off on his fingers. Sky shrugged.

"I'll get by somehow." She replied, voice a little unsure. Sensing a breach in her defences, Wes pressed on.

"Really? Seems to me that you're lost, and need somewhere to stay."

"So?"

"So come stay with me and my friends." He offered. Sky snorted and pushed herself up off the bed.

"What, and be stared at like a freak when my powers flare up? Or if I dash off somewhere to save the world? Oh sure, cause that's really going to work." She ridiculed.

"Well, actually, those things are void." Wes replied, also standing. "Because..." He trailed off, pulling his shirt sleeve up to reveal the chrono morpher he wore. "Me and my friends _are_ the Power Rangers. And one of them is an alien, a Xybrian, so I doubt they'll care too much about you being 'different'." He reasoned, looking at her. Sky shrugged.

"I dunno Wes..." She whispered.

"Come on, just give it a try. You'll never know unless you give it a shot." He responded sagely. Sky turned and walked a couple of steps away. She touched her necklace and he realised she was communicating with Destiny. A few minutes of silence later, she turned to him.

"I'll try. For 3 weeks." She promised. "But if it doesn't work out, then I come back here, no questions asked." She bargained. Wes nodded, making a silent promise not to fail. Sky smiled at him. "In that case, let's get going." She stated, rubbing her hands together. Wesley nodded and started running, eager to leave the cave. Not hearing footsteps, he stopped and spun round. Sky was stood leant against a wall with an amused expression.

"What?" He asked. Her smile grew wider and she jerked a thumb behind her, tilting her head that way as well.

"Quickest exit's over her." She told him, speaking as if one would to a child. Feeling a little embarrassed, Wes jogged over. Shaking her head, Sky laughed and took the lead, directing them out of the dank caves, and into a brand new adventure.

**Okay, well there's a longer chapter for you all and, hopefully, you liked it!**

**Now, for a serious message. I really need some reviews! I appreciate how many of you view this story and I'm particularly grateful to those few who favourited and alerted this story but I ****need**** some feedback! Otherwise how do I know you all like it? You don't even have to have an account, just use a pen name and leave a note explaining what you think! And, reviewers WILL be mentioned in the next chapter!**

**So please, review this chapter- I'm dying without them!**

**JJ x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello again! Well, here's chapter 4 but first I would like to say a big thank you to my first EVER reviewer- the Pink Lightspeed Ranger! So, thank you very much! As promised, you have a special mention this time. This one is for you!**

**Now, on with the plot!**

_Disclaimer: I own Power Rangers? Wow, I thought it all belonged to Saban/Disney/BVE! Wait, it does? Oh man! Still, at least I own my OC Sky and my plot. But I don't make any profit from this, just so we're on the same wavelength here._

Wes and Sky climbed the steps of the complex together, exchanging pleasantries and light conversation. The caverns were dark, lit by Destiny in her pendant form as they strode through the passages. Finally, Sky found what she was after and brushed her hand against the walls again. At once, the coloured rocks lit up in a specific order, lighting up the corridors and bathing them in a warm, comforting, multicoloured glow.

"Impressive." Wes remarked as he strolled through. Looking at the rocks, he felt a certain pull to a red strand. "What are these?" He asked. Sky smiled and carried on walking.

"Each strand is carved into the walls of the complex whenever a new Power Ranger shows up. That's why you feel a pull towards that particular red strand; it is directly linked to you and your powers." She told him. Nodding his understanding, Wes followed the teenage girl again. They travelled down the seemingly endless corridor until Sky turned and took a sharp left. From there Wes saw some kind of slide, a tunnel sloping downwards. "This will take us to the exit." She explained. As soon as she had spoken, Sky grabbed the top of the tunnel and swung inside, rapidly disappearing from view until Wes followed. The coloured strands of rock flashed by him creating a kaleidoscope of colours around him, almost making him sick as he rocketed down the slide. He flew out the end and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Ow!" He complained, rubbing his back.

"Pfft, and you're a Ranger?" Sky scoffed. From his position on the floor, Wes still didn't see an exit until a chink of light could be seen in the ceiling, miles away. They were on a low ledge with a gigantic rock face nearby, stretching up to near the ceiling.

"How do we get up there?" Wes asked, clambering to his feet. Sky raised her eyebrows at him.

"Simple. We climb this rock face," She explained, pointing to the one nearby. "Then we jump across to that one," She continued, her hand moving to point at another ledge, this one on the other side of a dark, gaping chasm. "Then it's a short climb and we're home and dry." She finished happily. "Come on, this way." She commanded, grabbing the rock face and hauling herself up. Wes watched, impressed, as she scaled the craggy wall with ease, then he jumped as she launched herself across a gaping abyss, making it to the other side by grabbing the ledge with her fingertips. She hauled herself onto the platform and vanished for a moment before her head reappeared. "Hurry up!" She hollered to him. "It isn't hard!"

"Speak for yourself!" Wes muttered, nonetheless starting the ascent himself. He scaled the rock face with a fair amount of ease before he readied himself for the jump.

"Oh, a word of warning," Sky called across to Wes. "You have to make this jump. The Nameless didn't want intruders so if you fall you will be sucked into a dimension where demons are kept." She cautioned. "It may be better to use your morpher." She advised. Thinking it through, Wes followed her advice and morphed, becoming the Red Time Force Ranger. Retreating to the back of the ledge, he ran and jumped, stretching for the other side. He fell just short and he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach until he heard a familiar voice shout. "Oh no you don't!" Sky yelled. He stopped falling and slammed into the side of the rocks. Looking up through his visor he saw Sky, straining to hold him. "God you're heavy." She grumbled, hauling him up. Grabbing a hand hold in the rock, he helped her and soon they were both on the other side. Sky was on her knees and panting.

"Thanks for that." He gasped out.

"No problem." She replied breathlessly. She started to get to her feet, but her legs wobbled and she sank back down again. Sky looked up with a weak smile. "Blood loss, it takes it out of you." She said by way of explanation. Wes was worried about this. Her forehead was still dripping with the liquid and he noticed that her jeans now had a growing scarlet patch on the calf. Walking over to her, he peeled the leg of the jeans up to reveal her large gash had opened up again, the crimson liquid coursing down her leg. Sky let out a breathy chuckle. "Oh that's great, just what I need." She muttered. With Wes' help, she used the rock face to stand unsteadily.

"Are you sure you're well enough to get out of here?" He asked concernedly. Sky sighed, looking down.

"I have to be. I've been strong enough to get this far." She reminded him. Limping across, Sky started to climb the last rock face, leaving Wes worried whenever she slipped or lost her footing. His heart jumped into his mouth when her hand hold crumbled away and Sky was forced to grab onto a rocky outlet, her arm getting scraped all the way from her wrist to elbow. Gritting her teeth, she continued to climb. She was in agony, her arms, legs and generally her entire body screaming in protest as she continued her upward ascent, but at last she made it. Climbing out of the hole, Sky emerged into bright sunlight. She staggered away from the hole until there was a good few metres between them before promptly passing out, head hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Wes crawled out into the daylight again, squinting at the light after being cooped up in those caves for so long. Then he spotted the spots of red dotting the ground. As his eyes adjusted, he saw to his horror Sky, lying collapsed on the floor with blood pooled by her. Running over, he picked the injured teen up and, after getting his bearings, ran off towards the city. He was about to head for the hospital, then recalled her ability to make rocks explode.

"_They'd never let her out if I took her there."_ He realised. As he panicked over what to do, a female voice rang out in his head.

"_Too right there,"_ The voice rang out. Before Wes could even begin to think where the voice was coming from, it continued. _"I'm Destiny by the way, you know, Sky's pendant and guide. And, unfortunately, I can't heal her injuries. Not yet." _The voice, Destiny, admitted reluctantly.

"_Why not?"_ Wes thought, confused.

"_Because I've only been bonded to Sky for less than a week, I need time to bond completely with her DNA and genetic structure so I can heal injuries. I can still do little things. Things like bruises, I can do. Whopping great gashes like she has, I cannot."_ She explained. _"The best thing for her right now is to take her to your friends so they can patch her up."_ She advised. Nodding, Wes started running back to the Clock Tower, worried as he now saw red dripping from the side of Sky's head, as well as her arm and leg. Kicking the door to the odd jobs shop open, he pushed past a confused Katie and ran inside, yelling for Trip. The Xybrian was there quickly.

"What's wrong Wes?" He asked. Wes looked at him pointedly, then at the girl in his arms. Laying Sky down on the couch, he stepped back to allow Trip to examine the girl. A few moments later, the Xybrian rushed off and returned with numerous bandages and some sort of solution, along with some wipes, cotton wool, tape, and a cream of some variety. Silently, the green haired alien got to work helping the broken girl. A few minutes later, Jen came in.

"Wes what's...oh my god!" She cried, spotting Trip tending to Sky. "What the heck happened Wes?" She demanded, shocked.

"Right now isn't the time Jen." He said, walking around the couch as Trip called him over. "What do you need Trip?" He asked, crouching down. Trip was rolling up Sky's trouser leg, leading to more blood flowing steadily down her leg.

"Hold her still, I have a feeling she won't like this. And when I applied this stuff to her head last time," He held up the bottle of antiseptic solution for emphasis, "I almost got hit in the head." He said, a worried look in his eyes. With a brief noise of agreement, Wes held Sky in position as Trip poured some of the liquid onto a cotton wool pad, before placing it on the open wound. As predicted, Sky jerked and started thrashing around as he continued to treat the leg wound. Noticing one of her hands about to hit him, Wes pinned it down quick, only for her head to whack him in the arm, hard. Eventually, Trip finished cleaning the leg wound and, after administering some anaesthetic, stitched the gash shut. He then used the wipes to clean the skin of any remaining grime and filth before he applied some kind of cream to the stitched up area and wrapped the bandages around the injury, pulling them tight and securing them with tape. He did the same for arm and, much to Wes' surprise, an injury on her side that he hadn't noticed before. After around 10 minutes of work, Trip sighed and rocked back on his heels, running a hand through his vivid green hair. "There, all done." He sighed. "She'll be out for a while though; she's been through the mill for sure." He stated, then shook his head in bewilderment. "How she even _got_ this way is what I don't get." He muttered, walking off. Jen slowly approached Wes, looking on as he kept a silent vigil over the young girl, now sleeping peacefully.

"Wes, what happened?" She asked again, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can't just dive into the sea, disappear for nearly a whole day, then turn up with a half dead girl and expect me not to want answers!" Jen cried, looking at him. Wes sighed and looked at her.

"Look, Jen, I would tell you, but I can't."

"Why not?" She asked stubbornly.

"Because it isn't my story to tell." He replied simply, walking off. He could feel Jen's gaze on his back, but ignored it and went into the bathroom. Jen meanwhile remained where she was, staring at where Wes had been.

"It isn't his fault, you know." A quiet voice piped up. Jen whirled around and saw Sky was sitting up, although it was obviously not easy.

"What?" Jen asked, confused about the teenager's statement.

"The reason he won't say where he's been." She explained to Jen. "It isn't his fault." Sky informed her. Gingerly, she swung her legs out off the couch and patted the space next to her. Jen sat down. "It's mine." Sky admitted.

"How come?"

"When he came after me," Sky started slowly, biting her lip as she thought about how to proceed. "He found out certain things about me, my life and my past. Things I made him promise not to reveal. That's why he can't explain anything." She finished, looking Jen in the eyes. Jen raised an eyebrow.

"But you can explain things?" She checked.

"Yes." Sky responded affirmatively.

"Will you?" Jen queried. Sky looked at her coldly.

"No." She stated, firm. Her reply was short and cold, her eyes hardening. Jen was surprised. The girl she had met earlier was nervous, yes, but she wasn't this emotionless. She was so shocked that she could only watch as Sky pushed herself up from the couch and limped away, going out onto the balcony. Shaking her head to clear it, Jen joined her.

"Why not?" She asked, kindly this time. She even tried placing a hand on Sky's shoulder, only to have the teenager shrug it off.

"It's none of your business." The girl replied briskly. "It's my private life and that's exactly how I want it to stay- private." She snapped icily. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Sky stared out across the city, trying to make it obvious she wanted to be left alone. Therefore she was infinitely disappointed when Jen sat down beside her.

"Okay." Jen acknowledged, not pressing the matter any further. "But, listen, despite what you may think, we're worried." She confided in the girl. "You were beaten up pretty badly, just look at yourself!" She exclaimed. Sky shrugged.

"These things happen." She responded calmly.

"No, they don't." Jen shot back. "And we want to help."

"I don't need help." Sky said, firm. Jen laughed and looked away.

"I was like that when we first showed up here." She confessed. "My friends and I are from the year 3000." She informed Sky when the teenager looked bewildered. Sky nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear. "I didn't want help from anyone. I was determined to be alone and I didn't feel like I should have to rely on others." She admitted.

"Sometimes it's better that way." Sky whispered. "Less people get hurt that way."

"Yeah, I thought that." Jen agreed. "But, over time, I learnt that friendship is good. They're not there to pity you when you're down, instead they support you and help you work through your problems." She smiled, looking down. "Sometimes, you don't realise how good things are until something like this happens." She murmured. Sky acknowledged her statement but remained silent. "Who did you lose?" Jen whispered. Sky whipped her head round sharply.

"What?" She asked suddenly, startled by the question. Jen looked sympathetic.

"I can see it. You've lost someone, someone really special. Who was it?" She enquired. Sky laughed bitterly.

"Everyone." She replied cryptically. Jen put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked. It wasn't pushy, just a friendly enquiry, and Sky respected that. Her thoughts drifted to her life back home. Did her family miss her? Did they even know she was gone? She thought of Natalie and Max. What would they do? Would they have a funeral in her absence? So many questions, so few answers. Her gaze fell to her morpher. She had given up her entire life for the good of Creation, but it was such a price. Never before had Sky felt so alone in the world. She looked out to the horizon again. Below the city of Silver Hills stretched out. Huge skyscrapers climbed towards the stars and below she could hear the horns of cars and the bustling of people going about their daily lives. She smiled sadly. There were families out there, wholesome and complete. Children with loving parents who would dote upon them and take good care of them. Sky had none of that. She had nothing, not anymore.

"Maybe." She said. "Doesn't mean I can though." She confessed, getting up and going inside. Jen followed.

"What do you mean?" She questioned. Sky laughed, the sound hollow and foreign to her ears.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" She shot back.

"Not when there are things I want to know." The pink Time Force Ranger quipped, bringing a small smile to the young woman's lips, if only for a moment.

"Touché." Sky praised, then let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around her middle. "And I mean that my life has become very complicated very quickly. Even with your lives I doubt you'd believe my story." She explained. Then she smiled and looked up to the second storey. "It's a miracle Wes did." She admitted.

"You never know unless you try to explain." Jen coaxed, but Sky shook her head.

"Maybe someday I might tell you, but not today." She compromised. Even with her head turned, she could almost see Jen's confused and hurting expression. "I don't want to keep this from you Jen. You and Wes are the first people here who've actually cared about me, but it's hard. I don't want to say it yet, but I promise when I'm ready you'll be the first to hear the tale." She vowed. Jen nodded.

"Okay then." She agreed. "But until then, why don't you sleep on the couch for tonight. At least until we get you another mattress." She bargained. With a wry smile, Sky nodded and lay back down on the couch. She hadn't realised how exhausting the past couple of days- had it really only been that long? - had been until she relaxed. Her muscles were sore and aching and the experience draining, both physically and emotionally. Her eyes started to drift close and within seconds she was asleep. Jen approached silently and draped a blanket over Sky.

"You okay Jen?" Wes asked. She looked up, startled, to see him at the top of the stairs. She glanced at Sky, waiting as he approached. "How is she?" He asked.

"She's okay." Jen replied softly. "There's something about her Wes. Something I can't put my finger on." She confessed, leaning against him without thinking.

"I know; but like I said, it's her story to tell, not mine." He reiterated his earlier statement. Jen sighed and looked at him.

"I know. I'm just worried. She's shutting everyone out, closing off. I don't want to see her become like others I know." She admitted. Wes smiled.

"Then we'll make sure she doesn't." He reassured her. Jen nodded and Wes hugged her. "Anyway, I'm off to bed, it's been a long day." He informed her, a yawn punctuating his statement. Jen rolled her eyes and shoved him good naturedly.

"Go on then." She urged, pushing him lightly towards the stairs. "I'll be up in a bit, I want to run some last minute searches on some mutants that Ransik still has." She explained. Wes nodded and, with a small wave, departed. Jen turned and looked at the sleeping Sky. "I don't know how, but I'll help you Sky." She murmured. "You're not alone anymore." She whispered to the sleeping girl. And, with that comment, Jen went to the computer and started working.

Meanwhile, Ransik was furious. Even with the Red Ranger absent the Rangers had captured another of his mutants. He stormed across his ship, pushing past some Cyclobots, who stood there confused as what to do.

"Damn that Time Force!" He cursed, slamming his hand against the desk. Just then, a holoscreen began beeping. He strode across to inspect the data. A brilliantly evil smile spread across his face. As he started laughing, Nadira sashayed into the room, pausing at the sight of her delighted father.

"What is it Daddy?" Nadira questioned, filing her nails. Ransik grinned menacingly at his daughter.

"My dear, things have just started to look up." He declared, turning back to the screen with a fiendish smile. Nadira smirked. Things had just gotten a lot more interesting.

**Well, there it is. Chapter 4 and we're finally getting into the action. Sorry it took so long but I'm trying to make this story the best it can be so please stick with it! As always, I will leave a plea for more reviews as I need them to encourage me to write more. Please take a couple of minutes to write one, I'm kinda desperate here!**

**Please click the button below and thanks a million to anyone who has/will review (especially you Pink Lightspeed Ranger!)**

**Please please PLEASE review!**

**JJ x**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay, chapter 5- Let's do this! (I know, what a short author's note- amazing huh?)**

**A side note for this chapter: I realised after I wrote this that Sky's transformation is very reminiscent of Yugi's in Yugioh. But then I really didn't want to change the plot and it does fit Sky's predicament so please don't get mad at me for it! *Hides and looks pleading***

**Also, a big thank you to my new friend, BellaVision, for reviewing and for being an awesome friend This chapter is for you.**

_Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it? *Looks at Saban/BVE/Disney* *They nod* Ugh, fine! I don't own Power Rangers and I never will! I don't make any profit either, just so we're clear._

The next morning, Sky awoke blearily. She groaned and threw the covers over her head. She waited. And she waited longer. When nothing happened, Sky sat up slowly and looked around.

"_Morning sleepy."_ A cheery voice greeted her. She yelped and spun around. The room was still dark and, by glancing around, it was clear she was the only one awake. She was bewildered for a few moments until events rushed back to her. _"Welcome back to the land of the living." _Destiny greeted her. Just then, someone snored loudly.

"More like the land of the living dead." Sky muttered. She heard laughter in her head and moaned.

"_Sorry, I guess you're not completely used to me yet, huh?"_ Destiny noted sheepishly. Sky smiled a little.

"Not quite. Although I don't think many people have an ancient guide who lives in a pendant talking to them inside their mind." Sky reasoned. "Now, time for breakfast." She mumbled. Throwing the thin blanket back, she stood up, wincing as pain shot through her multiple injuries. Stretching, Sky padded over to the kitchen and looked around. It was filthy. The dishwasher had obviously not been enough last night as- whilst there _was_ a stack of clean plates on the worktop- dirty plates and glasses cluttered up the remaining work surfaces. From what she could tell it was a simple but decent kitchen. There were cupboards on most of the walls with some work surfaces around the walls too. There was a microwave, toaster and a good cooker as well. But, as she looked through everything, Sky saw that it was all wasted. The cupboards were bare and the fridge barely stocked. Shaking her head, she scavenged a clean bowl and poured some cereal. She rummaged around for a clean spoon and ate quickly. She didn't bother with a drink as most of the glasses were piled up by the sink. "Honestly, I think pigs live in cleaner places." She mumbled to herself and Destiny.

"_Well, we can always show them how __**humans**__ actually live."_ Destiny proposed. Nodding, Sky looked around the unfamiliar Clock Tower until she spotted what she was looking for. Grabbing the little apron she tied it around her waist before clapping her hands together.

"Let's do this." She announced loudly, then winced at the volume and checked on the others. Sky rolled her eyes when she realised that they were all still fast asleep. "If Ransik knew about this, he'd just need to pop round during the night to finish these guys off." She grumbled, turning on the water in the sink and putting the plug in.

"_Well let's not give him ideas."_ Destiny chimed in. Inclining her head in understanding, Sky instead set about working, enjoying silent conversation with her constant companion. Together, they began to tackle the disaster zone that was the kitchen.

Later on that day Jen awoke earlier than the others, as was normal for them. She showered and dressed quickly, making a mental note to fix the dodgy lock on the bathroom door, and went downstairs. She was confused at first when she spotted that the teenager was absent from her spot on the couch. Then she heard music coming from the radio and spotted shadows moving in the kitchen. She wandered towards it and her eyes went wide as Jen spotted Sky wandering around putting dishes away whilst also singing along to a song on the radio. Jen watched as she dried the final plates and put them away before pulling out a sheet of paper and rummaging through their cupboards, scribbling random things on the paper as she went. Eventually, she stuck the paper to the fridge door with a magnet and untied the apron. As she started to fold the apron up, Jen decided to make her presence known.

"Seems like you've kept yourself busy." She noted. Sky yelped and leapt around, a hand over her heart. She blew out a shaky breath when she saw who it was.

"Jeez, don't do that!" She exclaimed. "For a moment I thought, well, it doesn't matter." She mumbled. Jen raised an eyebrow.

"You thought I was who?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" Sky retorted coldly, shutting off again. "The point is that surprise may be good on the battlefield, but not everyone likes it when you sneak up on them." She snapped, pushing past Jen.

"Wait, where are you going?" Jen called out.

"I'm going for a run. Don't follow me; I can outrun you any day of the week." She promised. Then Sky walked away, shutting the door silently as she left. Jen leant against the counter and sighed. She glanced around at the work Sky had done. Whilst they'd all slept it seemed the teen had worked hard to clean up their mess. All the pots were put away and cleaned along with the work surfaces. Going over to the fridge, Jen bent down and spotted a shopping list that the girl must have written out. It had a list of food and drinks on it with a note at the bottom:

_If I actually stay long enough, I'll do some __proper__ cooking and show you what real food tastes like- not that fast food garbage you guys are eating!_

Jen shook her head. She just couldn't understand that kid. One moment she would be helping them out, the next she'd be turning everyone away. It was hard not to get whiplash from her sudden changes in mood. Jen paused a moment, then decided to ignore Sky's warning and (after scribbling a hasty note) left as well. As she ran around the corner, Jen skidded to a halt when she saw Sky leant up against a wall, a knowing smirk plastered across her face.

"I had a feeling you'd follow." She said, turning. "Come on, let's walk. It's too early for my morning run and I want to explore Silver Hills." Sky offered. Jen jogged to catch up and they started walking along the streets.

"So...why were you up so early?" Jen asked, deciding to start out with light conversation. Sky shrugged, staring out absently across the city as dawn crept over the large skyscrapers and buildings, early morning sunlight reflecting off the shining windows high above.

"I always get up early. I'm trained in martial arts and use this time for practice- after all, one of the things I learnt was discipline." She explained. She laughed a little. "I remember how I'd annoy my family at first. I was training at 4am when I roundhouse kicked a vase. It wasn't expensive, but my parents weren't happy when the crash woke them up." She told Jen, a ghost of a smile crossing her face for a fleeting second. Jen let out a low chuckle.

"I can imagine." She murmured. They continued walking in silence for a while until Sky paused. "What is it?" Jen asked. Sky held up a hand for quiet.

"Shh!" She ordered. They froze for a moment and Jen finally heard the familiar and unwelcome laughter of Nadira. Jen's fists tightened. Her anger was so palpable that she didn't notice Sky move into the shadows of a building, hiding from view as Jen burst around the corner.

"Hold it right there Nadira!" Jen commanded. Sky rolled her eyes from her hiding spot.

"What an idiot." She muttered, shaking her head in exasperation. Looking up, Sky noticed that, unlike the skyscrapers, the building she was stood next to didn't have walls that were polished. Instead, it had walls which were made of brick and had indentations in them. Smiling, Sky grabbed at a window ledge and pulled herself up onto it. Peering in, she saw some shocked faces. Unsure of what to do, she waved cheerily and climbed past the window.

Nadira meanwhile let out a scream of frustration. She and Jen were stood in a face off as she was about to enter a bank and steal the money for herself. Ransik had promised that she could as long as his darling daughter promised to help him with his plan so she had naturally agreed. But this _wasn't_ in the plan. She growled.

"Cyclobots- get her!" She screamed. The army with her did as was told, obediently going in and attacking the lone Time Force officer. Nadira nodded, satisfied, as she turned to the mutant with her. His name was Deviacon and he was a master safe cracker- put away for numerous bank robberies. "You, open this door, now!" She screeched at him. The mutant did as commanded, crouching down over the lock. But, as he worked, Nadira spotted Jen approaching. "Stop!" She yelled. The mutant turned to her.

"What now?" Deviacon snapped angrily.

"Time Force- you're under arrest Deviacon." Jen declared, pulling her badge out. Deviacon growled angrily and launched himself at Jen. She also threw herself forward and the two began to exchange blows. Deviacon tried to punch Jen in the stomach but she dodged, sending a swift roundhouse kick to his side. However, Deviacon grabbed Jen's leg and threw her into the side of a building. She groaned and collapsed in a heap. Before Jen even had time to think the mutant safe-cracker was upon her. He grabbed her by the jacket and threw Jen up into the air. Then he followed that up with a drop kick, sending the Pink Time Force Ranger crumbling to the floor. Jen tried valiantly to struggle to her feet, but it was to no avail. Her legs were just too weak; they collapsed as soon as she attempted to stand.

"_Wherever you are Sky, I hope you've warned the others. Because, from the looks of this, it doesn't seem like I'll be around much longer to tell them."_ Jen thought anxiously. Just as Deviacon made to strike a final deadly blow, a loud confident voice called out to them all:

"Hey, ugly, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" A familiar voice taunted from high above. Jen's heart leapt into her throat. Nadira looked around confused. "What's the matter- doesn't your prissy pink haired mistress want you to fight an honourable battle?" The voice mocked. Nadira stamped her foot angrily, turning around trying to spot the elusive person.

"Hey!" She yelled. "Who are you calling prissy?" she demanded in her high voice. The stranger laughed.

"Try looking in a mirror for your answer." The disembodied voice snapped. "Now, Deviacon, will you face me honourably, or hide behind your tricks and shadows like normal?" The voice called out, delivering an ultimatum with confidence. The mutant snarled.

"You talk of shadows and tricks, yet _you're_ the one cowering in the dark. Show yourself and I'll face you in an honourable match." The mutant shouted.

"Very well, you asked for it." The voice replied. Then a dark figure stepped out from the edge of one of the rooftops, silhouetted against the rising sun. Jen recognised it at once and smiled slightly, glad and afraid for her friend.

"Who's that?" Nadira asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Your worst nightmare." The stranger replied. She stood there striking an impressive figure, hair blowing in the wind and the silver pendant glinting in the morning light. Suddenly, the stranger leapt off the roof and was engulfed in a flash of silver light before landing elegantly. The anonymous figure straightened. "My name is Sky Jackson. And I'm the one to take you down Deviacon." She promised. The mutant crouched, a feral smile on his face.

"We will see, little girl. Prepare to be annihilated." It warned. Sky smirked.

"Oh taunt me all you like; I know your little game and let me tell you it won't work on me." She replied coolly. Jen stared.

"_This isn't the Sky I've seen."_ She thought from her position on the floor. She could tell straight away that flash of light had changed Sky. She was taller and her eyes seemed different, a bright silver shining through and giving her an ethereal appearance. Her build was slimmer and her expression darker, face half hidden in shadows. The thing Jen found the eeriest was the fact that, although the air was still, Sky's hair swirled around her face as if caught in a fierce wind. _"Something's happened. Something big." _She decided silently. _"But whatever, or whoever, she is now, I sure hope she's on our side."_ She mused. The mutant blanched slightly.

"What do you mean?" Deviacon asked.

"I can see your ways, mutant. You're so successful because you hide in the shadows and put your power in illusions and fear of the unknown. All of the fear about you is simply your tricks making them afraid. Well it ends here!" Sky declared, still upright and relaxed.

"Y-You can't beat me!" Deviacon cried out, laughing nervously.

"Can't I?" She retorted. "You've hidden in the shadows for too long, Deviacon. But what happens when I shed some light on the situation?" She asked him. Jen watched as Sky raised her hands into the air. "Dragon Warrior, Solar Screen!" She cried out. At once the sun behind her shot out blinding rays of light, illuminating everything. Jen cried out and shielded her eyes. Nadira decided to leave and teleported away. Deviacon was blinded momentarily, then straightened and laughed.

"Is that the best you can do? A little sunlight won't stop me." He promised. Sky laughed chillingly.

"No, but sunlight and fire is _my_ greatest ally. Now you get to see my true power!" She declared. Jen watched in astonishment as flames wrapped around Sky's body. The girl's eyes flashed gold. "Tell me, how confident are you now Deviacon?" She challenged.

"That's not possible!" He replied, stumbling away.

"Isn't it? You forgot Deviacon; if you play with fire, you get your fingers burnt." She reprimanded. "Now, let's fight." She commanded. She looked at him through her swirling brown locks. "Or are you too afraid?" She taunted. This riled the mutant and Jen could only watch as it drew a large and dangerous sabre, running straight at the unmoving Sky with a savage war cry.

"Sky, watch out!" She cried. But she needn't have feared as, at the last possible second, Sky moved to the side as Deviacon embedded the sword in the brick work of the building behind her. After that move, Sky turned and kicked Deviacon hard in the side, repeatedly hitting him and eventually separating him from his weapon. She smiled and clicked her fingers. The sabre burst into silver flames.

"Those flames render your weapon useless, unless you dare to take it from them." She informed the mutant. "Now, let's end this in single combat. No tricks allowed." She told him. Deviacon nodded and, as one, they both lunged at each other. It was obvious the mutant was a strong opponent as he parried and attacked well, driving Sky back numerous times. But Sky was equally ferocious, and had the advantage. For whilst the sunlight filling the surrounding area would blind Deviacon she appeared unaffected.

"You told me no tricks!" He cried as the brilliant light once again blinded him.

"But I'm not playing any tricks. The Solar Screen was in effect long before I promised you no tricks. I have kept my end of the deal." She explained. Then Sky lunged suddenly and drop kicked the criminal in the stomach. But the mutant blasted her as she was sent flying through the air. Landing on her feet, Sky turned to him. "Fine, let's play with the big guns." She told him. Shaking her sleeve back, she revealed her silver morpher.

"What?" He cried out, stepping back in alarm.

"A morpher..." Jen breathed. She could barely comprehend the possibilities. Sky was powerful before, but as a Ranger...Jen shuddered at what could happen to the mutant.

"Dragon Ranger, engage!" Sky cried. After pressing the button on the morpher, the Sun seemed to rise high in the air and sent a rippling column of flames to surround her. When they cleared, Sky wore her Ranger uniform. It was mainly silver but she had black accents running across it. One colour that really stood out was a gold symbol on the back of the suit-surprisingly not the same as her pendant, but instead a five pointed star with a circle around it. She had a skirt along with spandex covering her legs as well. The helmet was intricate. The base colour was silver but it had the same symbol as on the back of her uniform, a star cut-out on the main visor. The black accents across the suit gave her a darker feel, and she seemed threatening. Whereas on the Time Force uniforms they had white, the black accents spanned across Sky's chest, her forearms and the tops of her boots. Her morpher lay atop the black accents, visible as striking silver against the black. Instead of black stripes across the armour on her forearms and a black belt however, Sky had gold instead. The visor was the same however, a standard black. "Noble Dragon!" She cried, posing.

"Impossible!" Deviacon cried out.

"No." She disagreed. "Now, let's end this." She said. At once, the flames surrounding his sword disappeared and it flew from the wall back into Deviacon's hand. He stared at it.

"You fool! I have my sword now, and you cannot defeat me!" He boasted.

"True, but what if I have a weapon of my own?" She countered. Seemingly from nowhere, Sky pulled out a sabre of her own. It was also in silver and black. Growling, the mutant rushed at her and tried to strike. She parried the blow and also attacked. Jen had staggered to her feet by this point but was in no position to go anywhere. Instead, she activated her chronomorpher.

"Guys, get down and round the corner, at the back entrance to the bank. You won't believe what's happening." She instructed, watching as Sky back flipped and swiped her sword across Deviacon's middle, sending sparks flying. The mutant then got in a strike and sparks also flew from Sky's spandex, but she swiped the mutant's feet from underneath him and flipped over him, striking him in the back. Jen watched as the teenager gained the upper hand, slashing and striking blow after blow against the mutant. Eventually she paused and Deviacon staggered away.

"What are you?" He gasped out.

"I am the Dragon Warrior. And your time is up." She declared emotionlessly. Then Sky ran her gloved fingers across the blade, making it light up with a powerful silver glow. She pulled it apart in the centre into two smaller sabres, both still glowing, as she leapt into the air. "Fire Sabre, Blazing Strike!" She shouted, slashing the two swords downwards diagonally. The blows struck the mutant directly in the chest and he exploded. As the explosion went off, Sky turned around, Fire sabres in hand. Finally, Sky walked over to the stunned Jen, still garbed in Ranger attire. With a snap of her fingers, the blinding sunlight disappeared, leaving the place unusually dark after the encounter.

"Sky..."

"Are you alright?" She checked. Her voice was different too, now Jen could listen properly. It had a confident and dark air to it, as if she could turn on anyone at any given moment. Jen just nodded. "Good, now let's go before any press show up."

"Too late." Jen muttered, nodding behind Sky. Turning, Sky was then blinded by flashbulbs and bombarded with questions.

"Who are you?" One plucky reporter asked.

"How did you defeat that mutant?" Another chimed in.

"Who do you work for?" A third asked.

"Are you with the Silver Guardians?" Another also questioned. Cameras still clicked away.

"What's your name?"

"Where did you come from?" A female reporter eagerly asked, pushing her way to the front. Sky took a deep breath.

"I am the Dragon Warrior and I come from nowhere and everywhere. But rest assured that I am no enemy and I will always be here to help those in need." She told the reporters. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." She trailed off and, grabbing Jen's arm, leapt over the reporters and ran off. They all followed and ran after the pair, missing them as they ducked into a dark alley. Once positive everyone was gone, the two stepped out.

"Thanks," Jen told Sky. "You really saved me today." She acknowledged. Sky didn't seem to respond.

"Oh, one second." She apologised. Then Sky pressed her fingers to her morpher. "Power down!" She commanded. "Now, what did you want to say to me?" She asked again.

"What the hell did we just see?" A voice interjected. Whirling round, Sky spotted Wes, Trip, Katie and Lucas all stood behind her with stunned looks on their faces. Sky looked to the heavens.

"_Oh boy."_ She thought. _"I'm in deep trouble now."_

**Well, there you are! I hope you liked it! **

**As always, leave a review, they really do inspire me.**

**As a sneak preview, next chapter we'll go back to Sky's dimension and see that not everything's okay over there!**

**Until then, click that review button and let me know what you think!**

**JJ x**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I'm back! Sorry I didn't update anything sooner- but I had a run in with a basketball that basically meant I ended up being carted off to A&E with a broken finger. But, I'm here (albeit with a strapped up finger) and I'm ready to update.**

**I also want to give a shout out to my newest reviewer: Dekabreak101. Thanks for reviewing, your words inspired me to get up and write. This one is for you **

_Disclaimer: Well, it's a funny story. I was __**just**__ getting my chequebook out to buy Power Rangers when an evil portal came out of nowhere and sucked my chequebook away! So, sadly, it still belongs to Saban/BVE/Disney._

**And now, enjoy!**

Sky swallowed nervously. The other Rangers stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Well?" Wes asked.

"Er, surprise?" She said, the words coming out as a question as she grinned at them sheepishly. There was a beat of silence until Katie let out a squeal and, before the others could hold her back, the yellow Ranger ran up and engulfed Sky in a bear hug. Sky winced as pain flared up in her injuries but she smiled anyway, embracing the older woman like an old friend. Katie tightened her grip on the teenager and started bouncing up and down with excitement. Jen couldn't help but snort with amusement at the desperate look Sky shot her way. Trip smiled and Lucas shook his head fondly as Wes smirked in good humour. Sky meanwhile could feel her breathing cutting off. "Katie..." She croaked out. "Can't...breathe..." She gasped. At once the overly excitable Katie released her. Sky cracked her back and rubbed her ribs absently. She then winked. "It's fine, no broken bones." She joked. She looked around at the others with a smile. Shaking his head, Wes came up and hugged Sky. The others all followed and soon she was buried underneath the other Rangers. Sky smiled and Destiny glowed with happiness.

"_Looks like you've got a proper little family now." _She noted. Sky hummed her agreement in her head, but didn't reply. She was still hurting about leaving all her friends and family behind for a strange universe she didn't know anything about, but when the other Rangers were being so friendly and understanding...the pain was dulled a great amount. And, since this had all happened, Sky felt like she could really genuinely smile again. Everyone pulled away and Sky looked at them all.

"Look, how about we head back to the Clock Tower?" Jen suggested. Trip nodded.

"Yeah, then she can tell us what happened." He added. Katie slung her arm over Sky's shoulder.

"And we can get to know the newest Ranger." She teased. All of them laughing, the small group of six headed back to their home.

Meanwhile, back in Sky's home universe, people were panicking. They'd lost contact with Sky around 2 hours ago and they hadn't been able to trace her either. Natalie was terrified that she'd lost her friend and Max had sent her to wait in the Jeep, for fear that she'd do something rash to find her friend. He was suffering with his own inner turmoil. He whirled around to another scientist.

"Have you found _anything_?" He asked for the hundredth time. The female scientist sighed and shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. We can't even pick up a heat signature with our scanners." She informed him with regret. She peered at the frustrated man. "You do realise she could be-"

"Yes, I'm well aware that Sky could be dead." Max cut across angrily. "Thank you for reminding me of that." He spat. The young archaeologist leant over his desk. "Get the spare equipment ready." He ordered suddenly. The scientist looked shocked.

"Max..." She murmured. He turned to face her, eyes blazing. Striding purposefully across the room, he fixed the intelligent woman with a glare that made her heart stop momentarily.

"Listen..." He glanced at her nametag. "Alex, that girl is my _cousin_. She is the closest thing I have to a sister and she is my best friend." He declared fiercely. "If anything has happened to her I will never forgive myself but I'll always hate myself if I never even tried." He stared out of the open tent flap. "She would do anything for me, our family, our friends, even strangers. She'd always _try_, even if she knew it was hopeless. And I will _not_ let her down by not even attempting to try and find her." He stated confidently. "Now, get the equipment. I'm going down that tunnel." He repeated. Alex nodded numbly and scurried away. Max sighed and ran a hand through his honey blond hair. He hadn't been lying when he'd ranted at that woman. A brief smile flitted across his face when he remembered that one night 3 years ago...

_He was out with a couple of his old school friends. He'd come back for the Christmas holidays and he'd met up with a couple of guys from his school years. They were laughing and messing about when Max noticed the time._

"_Hey, listen guys, it's been really great but I've got to go. My folks are expecting me back in like 5 minutes." He explained regretfully. "I'll catch you later." He promised. Waving goodbye Max turned and started back for home. Noticing a side alley he ducked through it hoping to be home faster. But, as he started walking he heard footsteps. Worried, he picked up his pace before something grabbed the back of his jacket and shoved him into the wall. Looking, he saw a group of around 5 thugs, all wearing hoodies, blocking his escape routes. With worry he spotted they all had weapons on them, switch blades and a couple were holding guns._

"_Give us your money." The one holding him snarled. Max was terrified and couldn't respond at first. When he didn't reply, the thug growled and pressed a blade to Max's neck. If Max was terrified before, his fear became amplified. "I said, give us your money." The thug yelled, shoving him into the wall._

"_I-I don't have any!" Max confessed. The thug laughed coldly._

"_Yeah right. Little pretty boy like you, you're bound to be loaded. Now, cough up." The thug insisted. "Unless you want it to get ugly." He threatened, pressing the blade more firmly against Max's throat. As Max gasped and stuttered in fear, a new voice called out._

"_Hey, did you ever learn to pick on people your own size? Or is nobody fat enough for you to do that?" A young, female voice challenged. The thugs all looked round. At the entrance to the alley, a short petite figure stood silhouetted against the light. The one holding Max laughed._

"_Why lookie here boys, we've got a little runt pretending to be a hero." He snickered. His gang all laughed menacingly. The figure stood their ground._

"_Leave him alone. He's told you he doesn't have any cash, so lay off!" The girl demanded._

"_Why? Boys like him don't go out without money." The leader of the thugs replied cockily. He turned to the stunned and scared Max. "And it's boys like him who always give us what we want." He added, leering at the young explorer. Max's breath caught in his throat before he suddenly felt the hand holding him disappear as the thug was sent careering away. _

"_You should look at someone if they speak to you." The girl remarked. She grinned, her white teeth a stark contrast to their dark surroundings as she readied into a fighting stance. The gang helped their leader up before advancing on the girl. Her smile changed into a feral snarl. Max sank to the floor as his saviour started fighting off the gang. She was vastly outnumbered and was hit several times (with both fist and knife) but, by the end of a long fight, the gang were sent running off as she stood victorious. Turning to face Max, he stared at his hero and got the shock of his life._

"_S-Sky?" He asked. She smiled and, with a little difficulty and effort, helped him to his feet. Once he was upright, Sky threw his arm across her shoulders and helped him home. Max was in shock. As they emerged into warm streetlight again, he saw how badly injured she was. Her lip was puffy, she had a large bruise blooming on her cheek and on her jawline. Her arm had been slashed by a knife and the wound was bleeding profusely as well as her top was ripped, exposing another bleeding cut. Her palms were scraped and her knee was also scraped as well. And yet, she still helped him home. "Why?" He asked as they reached the front door. Sky paused and shrugged._

"_You needed help." She replied simply. Max had pondered those words all night. Her mother had been horrified at Sky's injuries, but the girl lied and said she'd gotten into a fight with some schoolmates. He was amazed that his cousin didn't tell the truth and allow him to get into trouble. A long time later, when the rest of the family had gone to bed, he went into his little cousin's bedroom. To his surprise she was awake, perched on the end of her bed waiting for him. He came and sat next to her._

"_Thanks," He whispered. She smiled cheerily at him._

"_You're family. Family look out for each other." She murmured back. They looked at each other before Max embraced Sky, pulling her into a hug._

Max's smile grew as he recalled that, after that night, he and Sky had been like brother and sister. All that week he'd helped her with chores and given her help until she'd forcibly made him stop. Straightening up, Max's face became set with determination.

"I won't let you down Sky." He promised. Just then, someone burst through the tent flap. He turned to see Natalie who was looking murderous. "I told you to go back to the Jeep."

"And I was doing until I heard you were going after Sky." She snapped.

"Listen, she's my family. Yes, you're her best friend but I can't risk it."

"I don't care!" Natalie retorted angrily. "Sky is like family to me, and I'll be damned if you go after her alone." She screeched. Without warning Natalie turned on her heel and ran. Realising what she was about to do, Max groaned and sprinted after the girl. He raced after his cousin's friend as she barrelled past both scientists and his archaeological friends as she jumped into the little pit. Max tore after her, jumping down also. But he was a fraction too late. Just as he reached out to snatch Natalie back the blonde girl dove into the tunnel, evading his grasp. Max turned to the scientists. One, Alex, threw a communicator to him.

"Go get your cousin!" She called. "I'll monitor from here!" She yelled to him. Nodding, Max squeezed into the tiny passage and began crawling after Natalie.

"I'm coming Sky, just hang on in there." He whispered, crawling further and further into the darkness.

But, back in the universe of the Power Rangers, Sky and the others were all sat eating pizza. Trip had insisted on redressing Sky's wounds and the others had agreed. Apart from Sky. However, she had soon been persuaded (although she called it hounded) into agreeing to it as well and then went through around 10 minutes of pain. Afterwards though they'd all ordered in their pizza which led into their current situation; Sky was explaining the story to the Rangers of how she'd obtained her powers and her morpher. She skipped out large sections of her story but gave them the general idea. However, one Ranger in particular picked up on a small detail missed out.

"But, what happened to your family?" Jen asked kindly. "I mean, I get the whole 'exploring and found the powers' thing," She said, framing the words in quotation marks. "But surely you have a family somewhere?" She asked. Sky's mind went into overdrive for a second, trying to come up with the perfect excuse. Suddenly, an idea hit her.

"My family are dead. I was orphaned almost as soon as I came into this world." She told them. It wasn't a total lie- just the truth being bent enough to allow her to escape more unwanted questions. Jen placed a comforting hand on Sky's shoulder and offered the girl a handkerchief, even though Sky didn't realise she'd been crying; silent tear tracks making their way down her face and dripping onto her hands. She accepted it gratefully and hurriedly wiped her tears away. "Sorry, but it's kinda raw." She explained to them all. She locked gazes with Wes. "All I wanted was a normal life, though I guess Destiny had other plans for me." She stated. Wes bit back a smile at the double meaning behind the words.

"_Oi, watch it."_ Destiny warned playfully. _"I may not have a physical form, but I can still annoy you."_ She reminded Sky. And as soon as she finished her sentence Destiny began a very loud and out of key rendition of 'We are One' from the Lion King 2. With worry she spotted the other Rangers looking around in confusion.

"Can anyone else hear singing?" Lucas asked, staring around the Clock Tower.

"_Destiny..."_ Sky thought. Her spirit guide ignored her. _"Destiny, hush!"_ She requested. Destiny continued to sing. _"Destiny, SHUT UP!"_ Sky roared in her mind. Finally, Destiny was silenced. _"The others could hear you."_ She explained. If a spirit could blush, Sky was sure Destiny would have been glowing red. She could feel embarrassment rolling off Destiny in waves. She smiled inwardly. _"Just...tone it down a bit, eh?"_ Sky asked. Destiny agreed silently before retreating into the pendant once more. Sky rolled her eyes fondly. Her spirit friend was...quirky, in the extreme, but she loved her and knew that it was good to have someone to trust unconditionally. The Rangers- Sky included- all continued to eat their pizza in companionable silence. Whilst eating, Sky observed Wes and Jen repeatedly sneaking glances at each other when they thought no one was watching. Even to Destiny in her pendant, it was painfully obvious that the two liked each other, in more than one way. Destiny chuckled at Sky's frown. _"No one can be __**that**__ dense...can they?"_ Sky asked Destiny incredulously.

"_It would appear they can."_ Her close friend replied. Sky shook her head in bemusement.

"_And this is why I don't date."_ She declared in her mind, causing Destiny to laugh. Shaking her head again, Sky zoned back in on the conversation the others were having.

"...But seriously, why not?" Wes was asking. Jen tutted.

"Wes, we don't have _time_ to go to a party. With our luck, Ransik will strike the moment we get inside!" She reasoned.

"What's all this about a party?" Sky asked, curious. Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Wes wants us all to go to a party his Dad's holding." He explained.

"But Jen doesn't think it's a good idea." Katie added. Sky sighed. She leaned across to Trip, who was watching the still arguing Wes and Jen.

"Hey, Trip!" She whispered. The Xybrian turned to her. "Are they always like this?" She questioned. Trip smiled at her and nodded. Sky had to suppress a groan. "Fantastic." She muttered sarcastically. Trip stifled a laugh when Sky turned to the still squabbling Wes and Jen. "Listen, maybe you guys should go to the party." Sky interrupted.

"What?" Jen asked while Wes looked on smugly.

"I think you should go. Look at it this way, you five can all go to the party and I can stay here to keep an eye on Ransik. I'm sure that I wouldn't be allowed in and besides, you guys need some time to relax." Sky reasoned. "If I stay here, then Ransik can't come and catch us unawares and I can contact you guys via your morphers." She pointed out. Jen gaped, all of her reasons for not going now void. Sky leant back, content. "There, so it's settled. I'll stay here whilst all of you go to the party. Problem solved, so let's eat without bickering; I'm getting a headache." She complained. The other Rangers all laughed and everyone soon returned to talking contentedly. However, Sky was suffering inwardly. She felt like the more she got to know the other Rangers, the less she thought of her family. The thought of forgetting her past life terrified her. She felt immense guilt and was unsure of what to do.

"_Destiny?" _She asked.

"_What's up?"_ the spirit asked.

"_What should I do? I can't forget my family and I can't pretend I'm not upset and hurt that I'll never see them again, but at the same time it's like...the more I get to know the Rangers, the lesser the pain is. But, I don't know if that's a good thing. Should I distance myself? Or just go with it? I just don't know anymore..."_ She explained, frustrated. Destiny sent feelings of sympathy across their link.

"_Sorry, but I can't help with this problem. This is one little calamity that you'll have to deal with on your own."_

"_Why?"_ Sky asked, saddened.

"_Because, although I'm your closest friend, only you can decide matters relating to your heart. I can't make these decisions for you. I'm sorry, really I am, but I honestly can't do anything."_ Destiny replied comfortingly. Sky nodded mentally, but said nothing more.

Meanwhile, on Ransik's ship, the mutant criminal was furious.

"Just who is this new Ranger?" He thundered. Frax looked around uncertainly.

"Well, they call themselves the Dragon Ranger, if that helps..."He muttered.

"Fool!" Ransik roared, pushing the robot to the floor. "I already knew that!" He bellowed. Leaning over the desk, he glared through his mask at an image of the Ranger, in their full silver spandex uniform. "I need to know who's behind the visor!" He snarled, eyes blazing as he stared at the holographic picture. His snarl turned into an evil smirk. "And I know exactly how to do it." He declared confidently.

**Well, there it is! As always, leave a review as I forever enjoy hearing your opinion. Whether it is good, or bad, let me know. Just click that button there!**

**JJ x**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Phew, it's been a while! Still, I've finally found my inspiration for this story and now I can update! I hope you'll all forgive me for my tardiness and, unfortunately, after this I will be postponing anymore updates until my three other stories, _Freedom has a Price,_ **_**Pink is the colour of Envy**_** and **_**Final Strike **_**are completed (which means I'll have uploaded over 120 chapters in total and goodness knows how many words.) But, after that this story will be my number one priority! And, without any further adieu, enjoy!**

In the darkness of the tunnels Max could hardly see Natalie. However, after some intense work he managed to squeeze himself through far enough to grab her ankle. His hand closed around her jean covered ankle making the girl yelp in shock as she was dragged back a couple of inches.

"Hey!" She exclaimed in protest. Natalie began trying to kick at Max as he wiggled backwards. "Let go of me!"

"Not a chance." Matt grunted. "I'm not losing you too" He insisted firmly, wriggling back further towards the tunnel opening. Then with an almighty kick Natalie once more wrenched her leg free from Max's grip and hurried forwards again. Max began struggling through the tunnel again until he heard a high pitched scream come from up ahead. His communicator began crackling.

"What was that? Max, are you okay?" A female voice asked worriedly.

"I'm okay. But I'm not sure Natalie is." He spoke grimly, pushing himself forwards. "Man this is a tight…fit!" He gasped as he shoved and pushed his way through the tiny passage. Using his hands, he tested ahead each time he made progress. Then, as he began tapping out to see if the next part was clear for him to move across, the ground suddenly vanished beneath his fingertips. Drawing his hand back, he slowly inched forwards and felt out again. There was definitely a hole, the ground completely opening up. Reaching out, Max managed to reach the other side of the chasm. Stretching out, he crawled forwards so that his torso was hanging over the hole and his legs dangled below. Max took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Sky, when I find you I'm going to kill you." He muttered darkly, before letting himself drop down the hole. He fell for a long while, nothing but blackness surrounding him for what felt like an eternity, making his worries grow exponentially until he landed with a muffled thump, ending up sprawled on his back. With a cough, he slowly got up and saw Natalie lying out cold only a few feet away, her left arm twisted at an awkward angle and her glasses cracked and broken. Instantly Max was on his feet and, after checking himself over for any damage, hastened to the girl's side and tried to wake her up. "Natalie, Natalie come on, wake up." He murmured worriedly.

"Wha-?" She mumbled, still not completely aware. "Ow!" She cried as the pain from her arm finally struck her, startling her into full wakefulness. At the sight of nothing but darkness around them, Natalie felt a shiver of fear crawl up her spine. "Max, where are we?" She whimpered.

"I'm not…sure." He trailed off, squinting at something lying near the rock face a couple of feet away. "Stay there, and don't move, you busted yourself up pretty badly with your landing." He told her, getting up again. Natalie rolled her eyes whilst Max paid her no heed, bending down to the ground and picking up something shining. It was black and sleek, with a couple of wires poking out either end. Picking it up he saw other pieces follow it until he was holding up a mangled mess of wiring. Taking out his own earpiece, he looked back and forth between the two objects. Although broken and smashed beyond repair, the two were identical.

"What is it?" Natalie called out nervously from the other side of the rocky cavern. Max put down the broken earpiece again before he fixed his own back in place.

"I found something. Sky definitely fell down here." He confirmed, kneeling by Natalie's side.

"Then let's go look for her!" She cried, making to get up until she cried out in pain when her leg protested.

"Whoa, easy there. From what I can see it looks like you've seriously damaged your arm. I'm going to examine it now, so this may hurt a bit." Max warned her. Natalie swallowed hard but nodded anyway. As Max gently began touching the obviously affected area Natalie let out a yelp of pain. "Alright, that's definitely broken." He announced.

"Really? I had no idea!" She spat despite the blinding pain she felt in her leg. Max raised his eyebrows and her nervousness kicked in again. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"No problem, I can only imagine how much that hurts." Max assured her. Natalie looked confused so he lifted his trouser leg to expose a jagged scar. "Dig two years ago. I slipped and fell down, well, a cliff face. Snapped my leg in three places. Ended up on plaster for a good three months." He admitted with a grimace. "Not exactly my finest hour." He added. Natalie laughed a little until she heard a ripping noise.

"What's that!" She asked fearfully.

"It's just me- I'm going to bandage your arm. I was taught how to make a sling on a first aid course in Hawaii." Max reassured the girl, rolling his eyes in the dark at how skittish Sky's friend could be. Tearing his shirt until a good part of his midriff was exposed as he strapped up Natalie's arm. "You know it was very foolish to run off like that. Look what happened." He reprimanded.

"Yeah…" Natalie hissed as he pulled the bandages tighter. "Sorry. Guess my worry got the better of me." She supposed.

"Yes, well, now you're here if I help do you think you can stand?" Max asked her. In the darkness he saw the vague shape of Natalie's head nod. Tying off the end of the makeshift bandage, Max spoke up again. "Come on, let's get you up then." He told her, moving to help her up off the cold floor. With some grunting and hisses of pain from the girl as she stood up, the sling keeping her broken arm in place as she leant against her friend's cousin for support. "Let's go." Max whispered.

"Do we have to?" Natalie mumbled unsurely. "I mean…it's so dark…who knows what's out there." She reasoned.

"Sky's out there. We're going." Max stated confidently, already striding forwards. Natalie groaned, but followed reluctantly.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" She mumbled as the pair of them ventured forwards.

At the Clock Tower all of the others were getting ready to go out, save for Sky. Jen and Katie had dragged her out shoppinh, along with Wes' credit card, to buy some outfits for the party. Sky had been slightly bewildered but allowed herself to be bustled out by the other two as they headed down to the shops. Sky had turned to Jen, confused, and asked why she was even bothering to dress up for the occasion, secretly knowing the correct answer. At the question, Jen had flushed red.

"Well, if I'm being forced into this, I might as well make the effort." She'd mumbled. Sky had just raised her eyebrows at this, but let it go. And so she, Katie and Jen were all in the shops trying to find an outfit. Katie had been sorted relatively quickly, choosing an off the shoulder yellow dress with one long sleeve. Meanwhile Jen had spent a good half an hour milling around before eventually coming to a decision in the fourth shop she went in. Jen chose a sleeveless pale pink dress with a thin black belt around the waist with a skirt that stopped just above her knee. Both girls chose simple black heels to complete their looks before purchasing their party gear. Sky had been very eager to go then until she noticed the evil glint in the other's eyes. Before she knew what was happening, she was being dragged into several stores with Jen and Katie picking out her clothes for her including, much to Sky's distaste, dresses and skirts.

"Guys, I really don't need this…" She protested.

"Yes, you do. You're not wandering around in the same thing all day." Jen stated firmly, with Katie nodding her agreement.

"You all do." Sky pointed out.

"Exactly. We've not had a chance to go shopping in ages. Now, try this on." Katie ordered, tossing a grey top towards her. With an eye roll, Sky finally submitted and allowed the two women to buy her at least a dozen bags worth of clothes. Afterwards Sky raced out of the mall without a backwards glance, unaware of the gold robot sneaking away in the opposite direction, cackling all of the while.

**And I'm going to leave it there! So, until my other two stories are done I'm going to leave everything there and hope you guys will still stick with me despite my hectic (and somewhat erratic) schedule. Until then, bye for now! And don't forget to review!**

**JJ x**


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